Superman: The Ark of Krypton
by jtrichard28
Summary: Just my attempt to tell the story of Superman. What is the Ark of Krypton? You'll have to read to find out, but it will be a pretty big part of the story.
1. Chapter 1

Superman: The Ark of Krypton

Chapter 1

By

Jason Richard

Clark Kent couldn't remember when he found out he was adopted, but he'd never forget the day he discovered he wasn't even human.

It started subtly at first, but Clark, when he was fifteen, started hearing things he realized he shouldn't be able to hear. He was in school and realized he could hear all the classes simultaneously, hear children passing notes in other classrooms, and could even hear the insects crawling on the wall.

It eventually occurred to him that all that sound should be making him scream in pain, and yet it all felt natural somehow.

Not only that, but he could also seem to see through things if he looked hard enough. Once he was worried when his friend Pete Ross was sent to the principle, and actually found he could look through the wall and hear everything that was going on. It was nothing of course. A simple reprimand for getting to class a few minutes late one too many times.

It made Clark less worried than his ability to witness this conversation from the school gym.

At home on his father's farm, however, was when things got really weird. Helping his dad with chores was a lot easier than he remembered. Things that originally took hours seemed to take but half an hour. Things he lifted like bales of hay or farm equipment seemed lighter than before. Clark was beginning to think he was going insane.

Then, one day, it happened.

Clark was walking home from school, still distracted by the overwhelming amount of things he was hearing, when he heard one thing in particular. On a backroad somewhere Clark heard a car swerve off the road after a tire burst on a nail, only to fall over a railing and straight into a lake.

At first Clark kept thinking that maybe he'd imagined it, as he felt he had been imagining things since all of this started. Then it occurred to him that it someone really was in danger, he might be the only person who knew about it.

He had to be certain.

He ran to the area where he thought he heard it, and though he traveled a fairly long way and he remembered the entire route he took, it seemed to take little more than a few seconds for him to get there.

And when he did, he saw the car sinking into the lake, the passenger blacked out.

Clark, forgetting anything else, immediately jumped in and swam to the car. Thinking only of getting the man out, he tried to open the door, but with the immense pressure of the water already holding it in place, all he managed to do was break the handle off.

Not having any better ideas, he pulled on the entire door frame and ripped it clean off. The car filled with water quickly, but Clark was able to rip him out of his seat belt and drag him out before the car went completely under.

He made it to the shore of the lake with the man in tow and brought him up onto the dirt. It occurred to him that he should be exhausted after something like that, but he felt fine. In fact this adult man had weighed little more than a toy to him. As he kneeled next to this man he couldn't help but feel that this made absolutely no sense.

But then the man started to awaken. Not wanting to explain how he did it...for he wasn't exactly sure himself...he bolted, leaving the man to look around, confused as to how he got there.

And Clark made it home to the farm in seconds...still completely confused as to what had just happened.

He immediately ran to the barn where he heard his father working, stacking hay bales on a truck.

"Pa!" said Clark.

"Oh there you are," said Pa Kent, known as Jonathan to most. He was an old silver haired man with brown eyes. He looked a little rough but was fairly soft spoken.

"Pa!" said Clark, desperately trying to get his father's attention.

"I'm running a bit behind on this," said Pa Kent, just putting a bale on the truck. "You wouldn't believe the day I've had."

"I'm pretty sure I can believe **your** day Pa," said Clark sarcastically.

"Don't bet on it son," said Pa Kent, grabbing another bale. "First the tractor broke, and then…"

The moment he turned around with that bale of Hay in his hands, he saw the second strangest thing he had ever seen in his life. His son, Clark, was holding their tractor over his head...with one arm.

Calmly, and quietly, Pa Kent put the bale of hay down and said, "Would you put that down pleased."

A little confused about how calm his Pa was being, he nevertheless complied, setting the tractor down with a thump as it landed on the grown. Pa Kent then walked right up to the tracker, and very gently tried to pull it up...with no results. He gave up quickly and looked at him son. After a few minutes of stareing, something seemed to ocurre to him.

Pa Kent took a deep, long breath, and said, "Oh."

"Oh?" said Clark in disbelief. "That's it? I just lifted a tractor like it was nothing, and all you can say is oh?" his face grew dark, and then he said, "Why aren't you more surprised by this?"

Pa Kent gave clark a knowing look and said, "Son...there's something I need to show you."

...

Pa Kent showed Clark a hidden trapdoor he had never noticed. It was hidden in the barn, and when Pa Kent opened it Clark saw a sort of basement with something covered by a tarp down below. Down the stairs they went, and once at the bottom, after turning on some lights, Pa Kent pulled the tarp off to reveal something strange.

Clark saw a cylindrical object with a soft interior, big enough for a man to sleep in. At first Clark thought it was a coffin, but upon noticing it's shape, and the various lights and buttons within the interior, he realized it was something else. It was some kind of pod...or a ship. Also while it looked like a man could sleep in it, there was another indentation in the softer material, just large enough for an infant...an infant like...

"Pa," said Clark. "You said you found me by myself."

"We did," said Pa Kent reluctantly. "We just didn't tell you that we found you...in this thing. We were going to...it just never seemed like the right time...until now."

Clark didn't know what to make of this, "So what does it mean?" he looked up at the man he had known as his father for so long, almost begging for some explanation. "Did you know I could do this stuff?"

"Clark," said Pa Kent, wiping some sweat of his forehead. "Your mother and I knew that...something might happen with you. I mean...a child showing up in a spaceship doesn't exactly happen everyday. It didn't really matter though. You were a child who needed us, so we decided we'd be there for you."

"But what am I?" asked Clark, still confused. "Some mad scientist's experiment? Am I even human?"

Pa Kent sighed and put his hand on Clark's shoulder, saying, "Clark, what is your fondest memories of growing up here?"

The question surprised him, but he answered, honestly, saying, "Christmas...any of them...maybe?"

Pa Kent chuckled, put his hand on Clark's shoulder, and said, "Good answer. And I'll bet you there are a lot of kids out there who would give a similar answer...if not the same one. And you know what? You'll still get Christmas. I promise. Whatever else you might be, you're still my son, and that is never going to change. As far as this goes, I know you have questions, and you have every right to ask them, so we'll do whatever we can to help you figure this all out. Okay?"

Clark wiped a tear from his eye as he hugged his father, who had managed to find just the right thing to say to cheer him up. He still wanted to know where he had came from, but for now he was content with where he was.

"Jonathan!" said an alarmed voice high above them.

Pa Kent and Clark looked up to see Ma Kent, otherwise known as Martha, looking down on them in confusion. She was a silver haired older woman with blue eyes. She was a direct woman, not easily flustered. This, however, was one of the rare moments where she was, indeed, quite flustered.

"You showed him?" she asked, a hurt look on her face. "I mean, Clark, we were always planning to...but Jonathan we should have shown him together. Why didn't you talk with me first?"

Jonathan didn't know how to respond to that as he stammered, "Well...you see...it's like...well…"

"Hey ma," said Clark, standing next to the pod.

Both his adopted parents looked at him as he used one arm to lift the pod a couple of feet into the air. Pa Kent nodded while Ma Kent stared with an open mouth.

"Yes," said Pa Kent. "That's why I went ahead and showed him.

After an awkward silence, Ma Kent said, "Oh." and after another awkward silence, she added, "Well...supper's ready."


	2. Chapter 2

Superman: The Ark of Krypton

Chapter 2

By

Jason Richard

And so Clark spent the next few years of his life learning to control his new powers. He was incredibly fast and incredibly strong, and using these abilities proved to be exhilarating once he got used to them. He did save a few more people over the years. If someone was in trouble, he heard it and was there in a flash. There were people falling from scaffolding who found themselves safely on the ground, a few robberies where someone tied up the crooks before they knew what happened, and even an escaped convict was just passing through the town of Smallville when he, within seconds, found himself behind bars. Clark did all of this, but he was in and out so quickly no one ever knew what happened.

There was some sort of guardian angel in Smallville, but who or what it was, no one knew. There were of course the usual conspiracy theories about it online, but most people dismissed this sort of thing as an urban legend and forgot about it in a single Tweet. Despite this, Clark kind of liked the idea of being an urban legend.

It wasn't all pleasant. Clark discovered a few new powers by accident that nearly led to disaster. Once he accidently set fire to Ma Kent's apron just by looking at it. Another time a particularly powerful sneeze not only turned the tractor into an icicle, but sent it rolling several feet out the barn. All these things he found himself capable of kind of scared him sometimes. Of course people started asking questions when wierd stuff happened around him, but Clark usualy feigned innocence. Actually he'd gotten pretty good at acting like he never knew what was going on any more than anyone else. There were a few who seemed to hold their suspicions, but clark found a suble way to allay those suspicions.

Before he got his powers, he needed glasses for a while, but once the powers came in he stopped wearing them. On a whim one day, however, he put them on again, and people seemed to suspect him less because of that. It was a bit of a cliche, Clark realized, but the glasses completed the mild mannered persona he adopted when he accidentally used his powers. That, combined with his good school preformance, made people think of him as a typical bookworm or nerd. It was a little thing, but it seemed to direct people's attention away from him when wierd things happened.

And with his powers, wierd things happened all the time. The more he learned about his abilities, the more he wanted to learn where he came from. He didn't have many clues, however, so he started learning to gather information and news wherever possible.

Mostly he surfed the internet for strange things. He never saw anything related to him, but he never stopped trying either.

In college, this hobby turned into an interest for investigative journalism. At Metropolis University he studied journalism and got his degree...all while expanding his secret heroism from Smallville to the city. During this time he seemed to get more powerful all the time. Stronger...faster...and even able to hear more than ever before.

It all made him even more determined to find out where he came, and one fateful day, he finally found a clue. On one obscure corner of the internet, under extraterrestrial sightings, a ship had been seen some years ago. Of course there were the usual skeptical explanations for the event. Military testing, swamp gas...the works. This sighting, however, piqued Clark's interests for one particular reason.

All of the blurry photos or other evidence were taken on the same day Clark's pod had crash landed next to the Kents. For the first time he seemed to have a solid lead. The only trouble was that there was no consensus on where the ship actually landed. Clark could look in any of the places, but there were so many that there wasn't much point.

He had a lead, but not much else to go on. By this point, however, he figured it was time to stop using more amateurish methods and go professional, that way he could get better contacts and information in general.

In short, it was time to get a real job as a reporter.

…

Clark, now in his twenties, stood on the front porch of his old home in a suit and tie, giving his Ma and Pa a final farewell before he made off for the big city...this time for good. He would come visit of course, but this moment still had a finality to it that the other milestones in his life seemed to lack.

"Oh Clark," said Ma Kent, giving her son a big hug, "I'm going to miss you."

"I won't be gone forever Ma," said Clark.

"Oh I know that," said Me Kent as they pulled away. He had to wipe a tear from her eye, but she was smiling nevertheless.

"I'm glad your getting a job," said Pa Kent. "It means you're a man now. I couldn't be more proud."

"Thanks Pa," said Clark, giving his old man a hug as well.

"Oh!" said Pa Kent as they pulled away, "One more thing, before you go."

He reached down to the porch swing and picked a large package, giving it to Clark, "The...uh...pod...you came in turned on for a moment this morning. It opened a panel and revealed something. I went ahead and put it in here."

"Really?" said Clark excitedly, taking the package and beginning to open it. "Did it do anything else?"

"I'm afraid not," said Pa Kent. "It lit up for a moment, then went dead as it's ever been."

Clark couldn't say he wasn't disappointed by that, but this was still more than he'd ever gotten before from that pod, so he took it as a good sign. Of course the 'gift' the pod had given him wasn't much. It looked like a blue suit with a red cape and boots. The suit had a symbol on the front, a red S in a red Diamond shape with a yellow field. What it meant he had no idea.

"Well," said Clark, closing the package again, "Thanks. You'll let me know if the pod does anything else right?"

"You'll be the first to know," said Pa Kent.

Clark nodded in appreciation, and then said, "Well...goodbye. I'll see you soon."

And the Kent's watched as their only son turned around, took off his glasses, and ran off...just a blur on the horizon for a mere second. Then he was gone.

Ma Kent sighed and said, "He's our son, and I love him...but it still gets to me every time he does something like that."

Pa Kent put a supportive arm around her shoulders and said, "Dear, I know exactly how you feel." and he kissed her forehead. She kissed him back on the cheek, and then they both watched the horizon for a moment...missing their son already.


	3. Chapter 3

Superman the Ark of Krypton

Chapter 3

By

Jason Richard

If there was one thing about Clark's super hearing and X-Ray vision that he didn't like, it was the temptation to invade people's privacy. He often overheard conversations he wanted nothing to do with. From couples breaking up to couples getting together, someone getting fired, and other personal conversations he knew were none of his business. His glasses did make it harder to use the X-ray vision, making the images blurry, but that didn't allay the temptation to look in on a conversation he was hearing. It was actually quite a bother.

That being said it was sometimes interesting to see the differences between how people presented themselves and what they did when they thought no one was looking. Clark's first foray into the Daily Planet was one such occasion.

His new Boss, Perry White, had seemed like a real hard case when Clark interviewed with him. The thing Clark remembered him saying most was, "If you do end up working with me, I want big news. I don't any fluff piece about a celebrity's lost puppy or some billionaire's spending habits. If it doesn't shatter the earth, it isn't big news."

A real no nonsense guy, Clark Thought. This was why it was a big surprise to realize, as he was going up the elevator in the Daily Planet to begin his first day, that it was from Mr. White's office that he was hearing the Elvis Presley Music.

It was true. Mr. White, that guy who made Clark think of that face you make when you eat something sour, was bobbing his head to the sound of, "A Little Less Conversation," on some earbuds as he filled out paperwork.

As Clark stepped out of the elevator, however, he spotted a woman in her twenties with black hair knocking on his office. He immediately turned off the music and hid the mp3 player, saying "come in."

As the woman stepped in, Clark saw, from the back of the room, the same sour expression Mr. White had interviewed with. Clark Couldn't help but grin.

"Why so happy?" said a cheerful voice next to him.

Clark was still amazed that even with his advanced hearing he couldn't pay attention to everything at once...so he hadn't noticed the young man with red hair, a brown jacket, and a professional camera approach him, and was, for once, taken off guard.

"Oh," said Clark, readjusting his glasses, "Just thinking of home."

"Well don't let the chief see you daydreaming," said the young man, giving his hand to shake. "He hates that...and being called chief actually...try not to imitate me."

Clark shook his his hand as the young man when from someone cheerful to a little embarrassed.

"Well," said the young man. "I'm Jimmy. Jimmy Olsen."

"Clark Kent," sadi Clark. "Nice to meet you."

"Oh!" said Jimmy. "You're the new guy. Better get in the office for first orders. The chief hates that."

"Um...You called him chief again," said Clark, trying to be as polite as possible.

Once again embarrassed, Jimmy said, "Yeah...Old habit from my previous job. Gotta watch that."

And with that he led Clark to the back office. Before they got there, Clark asked, "Is there anything Mr. White doesn't hate? Because he already mentioned a few things when he interviewed me."

"I wouldn't know," said Jimmy nervously. "I keep my head down."

Naturally Clark had already heard something Mr. White didn't hate coming from that mp3 player, he was just curious to know how many people already knew about it.

They entered the office to find Mr. White, sitting at his desk as grumpy as ever, and the woman Clark had seen earlier, whom now he had a better look at. She was a very attractive dark haired woman, albeit with a cynical expression and a raised eyebrow the moment she saw him.

"Oh kent," said Mr. White, checking his watch. "Right on time. I like that."

"Oh there's something he doesn't hate," said Jimmy from behind Clark. All those words got the young man, however, was a confused...cold stare from Perry White. Jimmy shrank back and said, "Sorry...I'll just...go take some pictures." and he left. Clark watched for a moment as he heard Jimmy muttering about keeping his mouth shut.

"Anyway," said Perry White. "Clark, this is Lois Lane, our top reporter here. She's going to show you the ropes today. Tour of the office, rundown on the paperwork, and you'll accompany her to the Lexcorp expo later to see how we do things in the field."

"Yeah yeah," said Lois, who reclined casually against a bookshelf. "I'll show you the ropes, but I'm not babysitting you. If you have questions, ask them today, because after that, you're on your own."

"Surely we're on the same team," Clark protested.

"With that attitude I give you a week," said Lois, walking past him and waiting by the door. "I'm not trying to be mean or anything. This is just a tough business. You either toughen up or get left behind."

"So you're just being cruel to be kind?" said Clark, teasing just a little.

"If it makes you feel better," said said, though Clark detected a slightly patronizing tone. "But better you get it from me first than the competition...and trust me...you'll get it sooner or later. You coming or what?"

Clark watched her go for a moment, then turned to Mr. White and said, "Is she always like that?"

Perry White raised an eyebrow and said, "Like what?"

Right, thought Clark, I forgot who I was asking.

"Well?" Perry White. "What are you waiting for? Get to work!"

Clark Turned around and walked out of the office, only to see an impatient Lois Lane waiting by the elevator. As he closed the door behind him he couldn't help but grin as he heard the Elvis music starting up again.

This was certainly an interesting place he'd chosen to work.

...

Hey, thanks for the early positive feedback so far. In response to the question I...might have a guest appearance from another hero in the future, but I have no immediate plans for it. We'll see. :)

Jason.


	4. Chapter 4

Superman: The Ark of Krypton

Chapter 4

By

Jason Richard

By the time Clark had gotten his job at the Daily Planet, he had already saved quite a few people in metropolis. He had done so under the radar, but that didn't prevent murmurings. Everyone at least knew someone who had seen the mysterious blur that saved people from harm. It had put people off of bigger crimes like bank robberies for a while now, but since nothing big had happened yet most people still didn't believe there was any truth in this strange phenomenon.

Those who did believe, however, couldn't help but think that it was only a matter of time before this thing stopped a major crisis...and they were right.

Certain forces in the criminal underworld were going to make certain of it.

...

Lex Luthor stood out for a number of reasons. He was a tall, bald man with imposing features and a penetrating gaze, he was the owner of the largest, most profitable corporation in the world, Lexcorp, and had taken the number one spot in Metropolis Magazine's top ten most eligible bachelor's list five years in a row.

He also had a secret criminal empire, but not one could prove it. The only people who knew for certain were those already within that empire, such as the man who burst into Luthor's office.

"Mr. Luthor! Mr. Luthor!" cried the man, a middle aged thuggish man dressed in a suit with a black mustache. "Mr. Luthor! It isn't what it looks like!"

Lex Luthor, sitting at his desk with an incredible view of metropolis at his back and two elaborately decorated fish tanks on either side of him, looked up at the intruder and said, "And what, pray tell, isn't what it looks like Mr. Manheim?"

"That weapons shipment I was getting for you," said Bruno Manheim. "I didn't back out of the deal! Someone stole it! Stole it and tied up my men! Then the police showed up! It all happened so fast!"

"Mr. Manheim," said Luthor impatiently.

"Someone did it!" cried Manheim. "Something fast...it was all a blur. I'm telling you it happened it a second! I know it sounds crazy but…"

"Mr. Manheim!" said Luthor angrily. "I believe you! Now shut up for a moment!"

Manheim was about to say something, but was so caught off guard by what he had just heard he kept his mouth shut, waiting with baited breath as Luthor stared at him while tapping his fingers impatiently on the desk.

After a moment Luthor finally said, "So you can be quiet for more than a split second. Glad to know it. Also you are right to be worried that I'll always know when something goes wrong, because I will. Just keep that in mind and I'm sure everything will be fine."

Manheim resisted the urge to clench his fist. If anyone else had talked to him like that there'd be trouble, but Lex Luthor...no way.

"I am also well aware that what went wrong wasn't your fault," said Luthor. "This blur that keeps stopping crime is no legend. No one's ever gotten a good glimpse of it, but I have had evidence of its existence for quite some time now, and knew full well it could be a problem. Why else would I distance myself from our usual projects?"

That was true, Manheim thought. Luthor hadn't been doing deals himself for a while now. Lately he'd been sending that gorgeous, if scary blonde called Mercy to do finalize transactions. This dirty rat was keeping his own hands clean while guys like manheim did the dirty work and took the fall for it.

This was a thought he didn't dare say out loud.

"What kind of evidence?" asked Manheim.

"Video evidence," said Luthor. "We have videos of this blur in action, and all my experts agree that none of these videos have been doctored."

"I see," said Manheim, rubbing his chin. "So what are we gonna do?"

"I have a plan to draw it out," said Luthor smugly. "A way to...say...make his speed a disadvantage rather than an advantage. If we can just get a glimpse of it, get for information about it, then we will be better equipped to fight it. But that's what I will be doing. You should get back to work."

As much as Manheim would have liked to be in on a thing like that, he didn't want to make a bigger fool of himself than he felt he already had. He turned around, but Luthor wasn't quite finished.

"Mr. Manheim," said Luthor stoically. "one more thing. If you ever show yourself at Lexcorp again and reveal my connections to the criminal underworld, I will make certain you lose everything. Are we clear?"

Manheim really had to try not to clench his fists this time. He just looked back, nodded politely, and walked out of the office, feeling more like a fool than ever. Lex Luthor tended to have that effect on him.


	5. Chapter 5

Superman: The Ark of Krypton

Chapter 5

By

Jason Richard

As they walked through the hallway of Lexcorp headquarters, a massive skyscraper in the heart of Metropolis, Lois Lane gave Clark a few simple...if extreme suggestions.

"Rule number one of reporting," said Lois. "Be aggressive. There's a lot of information out there that people don't want us to know that we have a right to know. The first trick to getting ahead in this business is to reveal that information before the competition."

"I mean no offense," said Clark hesitantly. "But that sounds like something certain ladies in my Ma's bridge group might say."

"Some offense taken," said Lois, arching her eyebrow at him as they passed through the hallway. "But let me guess. Gossipers with delusions of grandeur who think a small town scandal is big news?"

"I couldn't ask a girl out without old ladies talking about it in hushed voices back home," said Clark, sighing. "It was really annoying."

"Yeah I know the type," Lois admitted. "But we're not paparazzi. We deal with real news."

"Yes," said Clark mockingly. "News that shatters the Earth, as Mr. White put it. The way to two talk you sound like I should be quaking in my boots."

"Not a bad idea," Lois smirked. "Look, you seem like a nice guy, and as much as I'd like to see a nice guy finish first, don't be ashamed in the job turns you hard and cynical. Now, we're here, right at the heart of the Lexcorp Expo to witness the latest in science and technology. After the presentation you can try to get an interview with whoever you like."

"I assume you're going to interview Lex Luthor himself," said Clark, teasing a little when he added. "Maybe I'll beat you to it."

Lois laughed, "Trust me, you're not ready to interview Lex Luthor. He may just be the most powerful man in the world."

If she only knew who she was talking to, thought Clark.

They stepped into the auditorium, filled with reporters and scientists from all over the world, and waited for the presentation.

...

It wasn't a long wait. Lex Luthor came out and made a speech about how, "We at Lexcorp are working to ensure that the future of Mankind is filled with endless possibilities." But Clark tuned out most of the speech. He'd seen these kinds of speeches before.

What caught his attention more was the blue suit and red cape he was wearing underneath his business suit. That same costume his pod had spit out actually turned out to be pretty useful...if extravagant. Most of his clothes tore apart or even caught fire when he moved at high speeds for long enough, but this suit seemed more durable, so he figured he could wear it when he helped people.

He was constantly noticing that he could not tell it was there most of the time. It was particularly comfortable in that regard.

As for the Lexcorp Expo itself Clark noticed that the building had some sort of machinery hidden in the walls and floor that Clark couldn't identify. And it was, indeed, machinery. It was far too complicated to be just the building's parts. Or at least he thought. He also figured that maybe he was just imagining things.

But at that moment the stage started bringing out the actual inventions Lexcorp was creating. Finally, Clark thought, something practical I can write about.

3D printers complex enough to build the latest electronic device. Want that new smartphone or game console that just came out? Just buy the design for it online and print it out right at home.

Sensory deprivation Virtual Reality. Suspended in water, wearing a suit that allowed for breathing and simulated sensation, making feel as if you were actually there. One could be a character from their favorite movie, or personally shoot aliens in the face in their favorite video game. It was a long way away from being a consumer product, but it showed promise.

There were other various products, but the most significant inventions Clark saw were revealed in the department of defense, such as railguns, lasers, and even mechanized suits that towered above the audience. It was all very impressive.

But as impressed as Clark was, he couldn't stop being bothered by the machinery he kept seeing in the walls and floor. He was going to have to find out about that.

…

After the presentation the press got their chance to ask the various Lexcorp scientists questions. While Clark interviewed various scientists, getting quite the scoop for his first day, Lois somehow managed to get a one on one interview with Luthor himself. It had happened in the blink of an eye as well. One minute she had been right next to him, and the next she was walking away with the richest man in metropolis, furiously scribbling on her notepad.

After a few minutes of getting some info on the new technology Clark noticed something. There was a man off in the corner, hidden in the shadows, who looked nervous. He was dressed in a suit, but somehow still didn't look as if he belonged there. He had a bald spot on his head, and tried to put on an air of confidence, but just looked nervous. Clark also noticed that his suit wasn't really put on right, but was loose in parts. A really lazy attempt to look respectable, Clark thought.

So it was to his surprise that one of Lexcorps leading scientists went straight to him. Had to be something there, Clark thought. Whether or not it had anything to do with the machinery Clark had been seeing he didn't know, but there was a story there. He knew it.

So Lois sat down with Lex Luthor and Clark listened in on another conversation. Both certain they were on to a big story.


	6. Chapter 6

Superman: The Ark of Krypton

Chapter 6

By

Jason Richard

Lois may have been surrounded by an auditorium filled with scientists and reporters, but as she sat across from Lex Luthor, his bodyguards standing over him, they might has well have been alone together.

That is, apart from the rather striking blonde woman dressed as a chauffeur standing right beside him. Lois knew her by reputation as Luthor's assistant/bodyguard by the name of Mercy Graves. The woman regarded Lois with a cool, observant demeanor that Lois couldn't help but notice.

There was a story behind that one, Lois thought.

Still, at that moment she was there to find the story behind Luthor, so she began her interview, getting straight to the point.

"Mr. Luthor," she said, her pen and notepad at the ready. "A lot of us are very impressed with the technology you've showcased here...but some are concerned that a powerful multi-national corporation will naturally be inclined to corruption."

"Straight to the point I see," said Mr. Luthor, who brushed off her accusation with a grin. "I assume you have something specific that implicates such corruption."

"Indeed I do," said Lois, not discouraged by his cool attitude. "I have a few reliable sources that indicate you had a meeting with a...Mr. Bruno Manheim? At about 4:15 PM yesterday?"

For but a split second she thought she saw the vein on his bald head throb, but just for a second. It was understandable. After all, the last person a man like Lex Luthor would want to be seen with is the leader of the notorious Intergang. What was really impressive was that he still managed to keep his calm demeanor, the grin never leaving his face.

"Was that Bruno Manheim?" he asked calmly. "He gave me a different name just before I shot down his business proposal...though I'm certain his true identity would have been revealed by the background check I ordered on him."

Well played, thought Lois. She had interviewed plenty of people who squirmed and sweated under the threat of sensitive information about illegal activity leaking out, but not Lex. No one had ever pinned anything on him, and he always deflected her questions effortlessly. He had proven to be the biggest challenge of her career.

Truth be told she almost enjoyed trying to make him crack. Still, as much as she enjoyed a challenge, she knew he couldn't keep it up forever. She'd get the truth about his shady dealings sooner or later. She knew she'd absolutely hate it if someone beat her to it.

…

There were times for Clark when having super hearing felt like cheating and made him feel guilty. This was not one of those times.

He overheard the man hiding and the scientist talking, and watched through the wall as they believed they were hidden. Clark himself was hidden in a corner, but he figured no one else like him would be watching.

"What are you doing here?" the scientist demanded angrily. "Do you have any idea what would happen if you were seen here? And on a day like this no less!"

"It couldn't wait," said the man nervously. "STAR labs is moving fast on this. They think they've found it."

The scientist looked at the other man in astonishment, "It?" he asked. "You mean...the ship?"

The ship? Clark thought. Could it be...no...it couldn't. The odds were too far against it.

"Yes," said the man. "The ship that was spotted a little over twenty years ago. Earlier this morning a pulse was detected bearing the same energy signature that the ship gave off. STAR thinks it can track that pulse to it's origin."

The scientist eagerly grabbed the suitcase from the man and looked through the contents. Clark, as he watched, knew it was no mistake. A ship from twenty years ago, the same time Clark's pod landed, that sent out a pulse the same time Clarks' pod did something...AKA spit out the suit he was wearing? It was an amazing coincidence...but they were talking about the very thing Clark was looking for.

…

"Well miss Lane," said Luthor, "As much as I enjoy this verbal sparring, I must...rather embarrassingly...take a restroom break."

"Sure," said Lois. "I have a new recruit I can check up on anyway, but this interview isn't over." she added the last part sternly.

"I wouldn't dream of it," said Luthor with a sly grin.

They stood and went their separate ways, Luthor followed by his entourage. As Luthor walked away he lamented that his final words to Miss Lane would be a lie. He really did enjoy her constant attempts to catch him off guard. Kept him on his toes.

Still, he couldn't have a determined woman poking her nose into his business forever...especially now that she was looking at links between him and Manheim.

As he went past the men's restroom and out of the auditorium, he spoke back to his assistant Mercy and said, "It's time."

Immediately Mercy pulled a walkie talkie off her belt and said into it, "Mr. Luthor is clearing the building. Get the ball rolling."

…

"Wait a minute," said the scientist as the informant tried to get away. "You didn't answer my question earlier. Why did you show up here and now?" he grabbed the shoulder of the informant's suit, and the informant suddenly became very uncomfortable.

Clark, still watching from a distance, didn't like where this was going, especially as he saw the scientist press a button on a pager at his belt.

"I mean," the scientist continued. "Even with the urgency of this situation you could have contacted me elsewhere, but you chose the most public event possible to make this illegal transaction. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you wanted us to get caught. You wouldn't be having second thoughts about our little arrangement...or the operation going on today...would you?"

"Well," the informant began, but was cut off when two security guards walked up menacingly behind him, making him take on a very frightened look.

"I think we need to have a little chat," said the scientist, who then escorted the informant away with the security guards.

Clark didn't like this, but decided to wait until they were out of sight before intervening. They would want privacy for this anyway. Clark really didn't think he was ready to reveal his powers to the world just yet. He had toyed with the idea on occasion, but figured a decision like that was a little too important to throw away on a whim, so he followed these men...he followed them until they made it clean outside the building.

And that's when it happened. He heard the explosion.

…

Lois Lane was minding her own business, clearing up a smudge in her makeup using the reflection on the window, when suddenly she heard an explosion.

She whipped around looking for the source, but could not find it. Everyone else in the massive auditorium looked around in confusion, but couldn't see anything.

Then the door to the auditorium shut, and metal bars clanged into place over them, trapping everyone inside.

Immediately panic started to set in over the crowd, until a gentlemanly voice came over a set of speakers.

"Ladies and Gentlemen," said the voice. "Please remain calm. There has been an attack on the building, but rest assured this building has state of the art security. You will be perfectly safe. Please do step away from the groove that will open in the floor, as the five inch steel panic rooms will now rise up."

As advertised grooves in the floor opened up and metal walls began rising up. People stepped away and soon everyone was trapped in little cubicles of steel. Even the open air above them began blocked off by bars of metal that lifted from the top of the walls and bent back down again. On the one hand it looked like they could survive a couple of grenades in there, on the other hand they were immobile.

"Lex Luthor," muttered Lois with her back to the window as she saw the steel walls in front of her. "What on earth are you up to?"

And at that moment, she heard another explosion, one that shook the room...and then, as she braced herself against the window, the world started tilting.

…

Clark didn't notice the metal walls in the auditorium at first. Still in his business suit he, quick as a flash, got the informant away from the scientist and bodyguards, leaving him on a different sidewalk and very confused, and then went back to the building, paying close attention to the area where he had heard the explosion.

Trouble was, he didn't see any evidence of an explosion. No burns, no debris, nothing...just an ordinary office. With being able to hear and see so much at once, Clark focused so much on that room, determined to find out what had happened there, that he didn't notice the walls rising in the auditorium until everyone there was trapped.

Eventually he gave up on the room and saw the walls. That explained the machinery he saw before, but it didn't explain what was going on.

Then Clark heard the second explosion, but unlike before, this was real. A thin line of blasting flame cut through the bottom of the building, severing the base at an angle, and at that moment the building did something Clark had never seen a building do before.

It began to tilt, and fall as it did. If it continued to do this, it would fall on its side, right on the street between other buildings in the city, smashing any cards beneath it and crushing anyone inside.

In a desperate move, Clark thought at blinding speed, processing the situation before him in an instant. His first thought in that infinitesimally small amount of time was that he'd do what he always did, move in at high speed and get everyone out of there before they knew what had happened...but he realized he couldn't do that this time.

Not only did he have to worry about the people inside, but he had to worry about people on the street, or inside the surrounding buildings...even if none were in a direct path of the giant falling object. He wasn't certain he was fast enough for that, despite what he'd done before.

Finally, there was the problem of those iron walls. Clark had no doubt he could break them, but looking at them he realized that if he broke them at the necessary high speed he would inevitably cause pieces to crash against each other. If he ripped apart one wall, several more would be pulled with it. With every group he broke out of those steel walls, another group of people would be crushed.

He realized that he only had one option, and that it involved him slowing down to a gentler speed. That meant, however, that he would be seen. He would not longer be a mysterious force of legend, but something real and tangible of incredible power. For the first time in his life his power would be revealed to the world.

And little did he know that one Lex Luthor, sitting comfortably in a Limo not far from the scene, was counting on something of that magnitude being revealed, even if he didn't know what it was.

Clark wasn't certain he was ready for this, but he realized he had no choice. He took a deep breath that for most would have been a split second, but for him felt like a very long moment indeed.

With that he opened the jacket of his suit and with both hands pulled apart the nice shirt underneath, letting the buttons pull out of their cloth sockets one by one, only to reveal the red and yellow S symbol that was hidden there.

As he did, he thought it lucky that he had recently discovered one last ability that would be perfect for just this kind of situation.


	7. Chapter 7

Superman: The Ark of Krypton

Chapter 7

By

Jason Richard

As the building fell forward Lois was knocked onto the window, her breath fogging up the glass. She could see the city road in front of her approaching like the side of a book closing against the other. Soon she and the rest of the building would be smashed against the pavement...and there was nothing she could do to stop it.

Was this it? She asked herself. Was she really about to die now?

As she fell with the building, at the very moment the building entered free fall, she started to feel weightless, and lifted off of the glass. It reminded her of a time she was in a falling plane and felt weightless. The difference was, she wasn't strapped down, and no one was piloting the falling object to make certain they landed safely.

Floating a few inches above the window, watching the pavement speed towards her, she realized that she truly was about to die.

Or so she thought.

…

Earlier that week Clark had woken up feeling as if the bed were softer than normal. It took him a moment to realize that he was actually floating above it, suspended in the air by an invisible force. He fell down to the bed below him a moment later, but still realized he had discovered a new ability.

The power to fly.

And later, faced with a building falling like a domino, Clark knew this was the perfect chance to use it. His business suit discarded in favor of the red and blue suit and cape, he matched the speed of the falling building for a moment, and firmly, but gently, pushed upwards with his hands and feet.

…

Falling and falling, Lois awaited the inevitable smash into the cars and asphalt before her. Closer and closer it came...just as the glass window came closer.

It was when she was pressed against the glass that she realized that she no longer felt weightless, and that the building was slowing down.

Slower and slower the building fell, until it was right over the cars in the road. Lois's face was but a few inches from the hood of a red car, only a thin layer of air and glass separating her from it. The impact, however, never came. The building had stopped falling.

And lois's mouth twitched...almost breaking into a smile but not quite going through with it.

Wow, thought Lois...I'm alive...but how?

…

It was amazing, thought Clark as his red cape fell straight down behind him. He was pressed with his hands and feet against the building, keeping it up through the strength of his limbs and sheer will that kept him afloat. It was exhilarating, but his work was not done.

Carefully, so as not to damage the building or throw around anyone inside, he very gently pushed up harder, and flew up as well.

…

Lois was just about to stand up, but just as she thought things couldn't get any stranger, she was proven wrong. The building, slowly, started to go up. The hood of the car, once inches away from her face, was getting farther away.

What is this? Lois thought.

She looked around in confusion, unable to comprehend anything that was going on. Out the window people started flooding the streets, watching the building go up in amazement.

How can this be? Lois thought.

The building began the process of straightening up. Eventually Lois was able to rest some of her weight on the floor rather than the window. Up and up the building went, and more people came out into the streets before her to watch.

What is...suddenly lois realized all the people in the streets were looking at a single point on the building. She couldn't see what it was, but she did see something. On another nearby building she saw a shadow.

The shadow of a man lifting the building with nothing to stand on on.

"No way…" Lois muttered, shaking her head. Frantically, as the building started to level out and she was able to stand on the floor again, she reached for the latches on the window and opened it.

Peeking her head out, the first thing she saw was other people peeking out below and beside her, Lexcorp staff most likely. Lois immediately looked up to see what everyone was looking at.

Her jaw dropped.

Holding up the building, with ground or anything else to brace himself again, was a man in a blue suit with a red cape. How did he do it? She had no idea. She just stared open mouthed in awe and amazement at what she was seeing.

Soon the building was standing upright again. Clark, however, was not finished. He still needed to meld the building back into place. Holding the building up for a moment, he got his bearings, then fast as he could flew around the building, melting the seams with his heat vision and using x-ray vision to precisely melt the places where the metal had been blasted apart.

He flew around the building with his heat vision three times in a split second, and with the next split second he flew around another three times, this time using his freezing breath to harden the molten metal. Soon the building was completely reattached.

For a moment he floated in the air with his fists resting on his hips, admiring his handiwork. At that moment he saw Lois Lane's head peeking out a window. He nodded to her, and then flew off.

Lois, meanwhile, watched him go, completely speechless apart from one word, "Whoa."

…

Lex Luthor watched the man in red and blue lift the building and repair it all by himself. He stared wide eyed, though whether in fear, awe, or envy it was hard to tell. He put his hand against the window, unable to accept what he was seeing.

One man? He thought. One man did this? Just one man!?


	8. Chapter 8

Superman: The Ark of Krypton

Chapter 8

By

Jason Richard

The next day, Lois Lane's article began thusly:

Superhuman Saves Entire Building

If hundreds of people hadn't seen it too, I would have immediately checked into the nearest mental hospital. Normally, the kind of things you are about to read about would be regulated to the supermarket tabloids and dismissed as an urban legend. Not this time. If you live in New York, chances are you know at least one person who saw what happened to the Lexcorp building. During what appeared to be a terrorist attack the entire almost fell over, but was caught by a single man, a superhuman individual with the power to fly and seemingly enormous strength. He was, in short, a Superman.

…

Perry White read the first paragraph of the article trying to frown like he normally did, but was just too taken aback by what he was seeing.

Lois, meanwhile, waited with a smile on her face...something Mr. White rarely with saw her.

"It gets a bit emotional," he said uncertainly. "This is news...not an opinion piece."

"How could I not be emotional?" asked Lois in disbelief. "Just wait, when you see what this guy can do, you won't be able to write unemotional news about him either."

"I'm not sure I can now," Mr. White admitted, looking at the article again. "I would have sent you to the psych ward myself if Kent hadn't backed you up. I mean...whoa."

"I should have made that the article," said Lois. "Just that one word. Whoa."

Perry White nodded, and then continued reading the article. Lois, meanwhile, went over to the window and looked out, wondering where this Superman was right now.

…

The last place anyone would have expected Superman to go after his big stunt was his parent's farm, but here he was, sitting in the living room drinking coffee while his Pa paced around the room and his Ma sat next to him.

"I can't believe it," said Pa Kent. "The world really knows about you huh? Are you certain this was a good idea?"

"People were in danger and this was the only way to stop it," said Clark. "What else could I have done?"

"Neither of us would know dear," said Ma Kent. "But I'm certain your father would have done the exact same thing in your situation."

"I suppose," said Pa, sighing. "I'm just worried. I know people are singing your praises now, but people are going to come after you."

"I know," said Clark. "In fact I think what happened at Lexcorp today was intended specifically to draw me out into the open. I'll have to look into that."

He'd certainly be paying a visit to Lex Luthor soon...though as Clark Kent or...Superman as people had begun calling him...he wasn't certain.

"This is exactly what I'm worried about," said Pa Kent.

"Pa, relax. It's not like anyone could hurt me," said Clark. "The other day I saw a guy with a gun holding someone up, and at the last second the only thing I could do was put my hand in front of the bullet, and you know what? The bullet dented on my hand and I didn't feel a thing. I caught the silly thing and could show it to you if you want."

Pa Kent looked astonished but said, "No, that's fine. I believe you. Wow. So now you're bullet proof?"

"Yes," said Clark. "Apparently. Really, I'm more worried about the two of you. I'd hate people to come around here asking questions. I've been keeping my distance from the camera when saving people, but I'm wondering if I should start wearing a mask."

"I don't know Clark," said Ma Kent. "If you suddenly start wearing a mask people might stop trusting you, and that could cause even more trouble."

"A fair point," said Clark. "But I doubt just wearing glasses when I'm just Clark Kent would really help. I'll have to think about this. By the way, did the...uh...pod do anything else today?"

"It would be a day for that," said Pa. "But I don't know. I was just about to check on it when you showed up. Why?"

"Just a lead I'll be looking into," said Clark, disappointed but optimistic. "Right now the world is wondering who I am and where I come from. If I'm right, I may be close to having an answer for them."

Pa Kent smiled and said, "Then what are we waiting for?"

…

A few minutes later Pa Kent pulled the tarp off of the pod and the three of them gave it a once over. Nothing seemed different, until Ma Kent pointed at a little red light near the base of the little ship. Clark leaned down and looked, and it wasn't just a light. There was a little indentation.

"Call me crazy," said Clark, rubbing his chin. "But I think something is supposed to go in there."

"Like what?" asked Ma Kent.

"I don't know," said Clark. "But if we're missing a piece then there's nothing we can do here."

"I'm sorry son," said Pa Kent. "So what now?"

"Fortunately," said Clark. "I have another lead. I just need to pay a visit to a place called S.T.A.R. Labs."

…

Lex Luthor sat in his office rubbing his chin. To the average onlooker it would appear as if he were doing nothing. To anyone who knew Lex, however, it was clear he was getting quite a bit done. He, quite simply, thinking. Lex Luthor was the kind of man who was never truly bored, for his mind was never truly at rest. He was always thinking, always...plotting...so even when he was sitting still he was doing something.

And right now he was thinking about Superman.

Who was he? What was he? Where did he come from? How could he have the kind of power he displayed?

How could that power be used by Luthor?

He was in the middle of this thinking when his assistant, Mercy, stepped in to the office with clipboard and some papers.

"Les," said Mercy, rummaging through the papers on her clipboard. "The media's been all over us. There have been accusations that we blew up our own building."

"So long as they can't prove it it will be fine," said Luthor. "We'll just ride it out and in a few days give a sizeable donation to an orphan shelter, make certain all of social media sees it, and the negative press will blow over eventually."

"If you say so," said Mercy, putting the papers on his desk before resting her hand on it. "Lex, I know that look. Last time I saw that look on you a rival corporation went out of business. Doesn't take a genius to know what you're thinking about."

Lex gave her a suspicious glare, saying, "And?"

"And I'm worried about you," said Mercy, crossing her arms. "I saw what that guy can do. Even for you, this guy might be too much for anyone to handle."

"I'm touched by your concern," said Lex, sitting back and folding his hands. "I really am, but don't worry about me. I never engage in a conflict unless I'm certain I can win."

"That's what worries me," said Mercy, frowning. "You think you can win any conflict."

Lex laughed, "True enough. But...well, what do you do when you fight an opponent you know is stronger than you?"

"Go for weak points," said Mercy, shrugging. "Get in his blind spot, use his own weight against him…"

"All very good suggestions," said Lex, giving her his most confident smile. "And once I know his weaknesses or find a way to turn his power against him, then I'll make my move. As I said, Don't worry about it. I am certain I can overcome this somehow, but I won't move until the how is well and firmly established."

Mercy took a deep breath and said, "Okay, you're the boss."


	9. Chapter 9

Superman: The Ark of Krypton

Chapter 9

By

Jason Richard

Getting into S.T.A.R. Labs turned out to be easy. Clark managed to track down the informant from the Lexcorp building and get him to confess everything, which earned the informant some matter of police protection. Clark had no doubt this wouldn't be traced back to Lex Luthor himself, but Clark wasn't worried. The next day Clark ran a story about Lexcorp having a spy at S.T.A.R. labs. It was only on page three of course, what with Superman still being the big news story, but Clark was fine with that for now. As it turned out his whistleblowing had earned him an interview with Dr. Emil Hamilton, the Metropolis branch of S.T.A.R. Labs most prominent scientist.

Before that, however, he had to face Lois Lane.

"Clark!" shouted Lois as Clark was gathering his things for his trip to S.T.A.R. Labs. He looked up cautiously, realizing that they hadn't actually spoken face to face since the incident at Lexcorp. Clark had only confirmed the Superman story to Perry White over the phone. For a moment, just a moment, Clark was afraid Lois recognized him.

"Clark Kent do you have any idea I've been waiting for hard evidence of corruption of Lexcorp?" she demanded, wearing her hands on her hips. "I don't care if it did get pushed back to page three. How on earth did you just waltz in and get a scoop like that on your first day?"

It took a second for Clark to realize, "Oh! The informant! I overheard them talking at the expo."

"What?" she asked in disbelief. "They were talking about sensitive stuff in public?"

"The Lexcorp employee seemed to think that the informant wanted out of the deal," said Clark.

"He could have come up with a better plan," said Lois, rolling her eyes. "But there's not accounting for brains, so I'll buy it. And I suppose you just happened to overhear them?"

Clark suppressed a grin and said, "Well...I have very good hearing."

Lois eyed him suspiciously, then said, "Well just watch your back. I may be assigned to Superman news for now, but taking down Lexcorp is my gig, and I'm not about to let someone beat me to the punch after getting lucky."

"I suppose I was lucky," Clark admitted. "Still, you have to admit, not everyone can go from rookie to rival in one day."

Lois regarded him carefully for a moment, then she pointed two fingers at her eyes, then those same fingers at him, and then walked off. Clark grinned back, quickly getting the message.

…

S.T.A.R. Labs was a large, circular building with the word STAR written on it in big white letters. Inside, Clark was getting her interview.

"Thank you for seeing me Dr. Hamilton," said Clark as he talked with Dr. Emil Hamilton in the busy laboratory. Various scientists went to and fro checking on different experiments.

"Not at all," said Dr. Hamilton, taking off some rubber gloves. "So what did you want to know about?"

Clark decided to ask a few questions about public technology that S.T.A.R. Labs had already showcased, just to soften him up before his big question. After this, he took a deep breath, and asked what he really wanted to.

"So Dr. Hamilton," said Clark. "In my article I mentioned a file folder that was returned, but I...omitted something I overheard the informant talk about. I just wanted to get some more concrete information on it before I ran with it. He mentioned something about a ship that was seen twenty years ago."

"Oh," said Dr. Hamilton, getting very serious. "That's a sensitive subject. And by sensitive I mean...highly classified."

"I see," said Clark, a little disappointed. "Does that mean you won't talk about it?"

"There is a little I can share," said Dr. Hamilton. "There was a ship about twenty years ago that passed through earth's atmosphere and seemed to be of extraterrestrial origin. Unfortunately the current location of this ship is a mystery. On that day it sent out a powerful pulse that messed with radars and satellites all across the world, leaving us blind to its landing place."

"But it sent out a similar pulse recently?" said Clark. "Smaller I'd imagine, but the same pulse nonetheless."

"Yes," said Dr. Hamilton, rubbing his chin while thinking. "But why it did this we aren't certain. Furthermore it seemed the pulse was bounced off of several of our own satellites before disappearing, so, again, we have no idea where it is...and I'm afraid that's all I've been authorized to tell you."

"I see," said Clark, discouraged that he'd really only learned things he already knew for the most part. "Well, I won't take any more of your time."

He excused himself, but didn't leave the facility at first. He went to the nearby restroom, and in private he listened for any clue he could find. Throughout the building, amid all the voices of people going to and fro through it, he found Dr. Hamilton's voice.

"No General," said Dr. Hamilton. "I didn't give him anything that wasn't already suspected on the internet."

"Good," said another voice, presumably the General. "That's fine. We can afford to throw him a bone, but this is the biggest discovery of the century. We cannot afford to have it fall into the wrong hands. Got to be honest with you, though, the timing of this is very suspicious."

"Timing..." said Dr. Hamilton, confused. "Oh...the maps."

"Yes," said the general. "The maps. That's why I'm here in the first place. We want to find that ship as soon as possible, so if you don't mind I'd lake to take them off your hands right away."

"Of course," said Dr. Hamilton.

As he heard them shuffling around, Clark decided that now was his chance. Looking through the walls he saw them a few rooms away, seeing a grumpy looking man in a soldier's uniform with Dr. Hamilton. When the good doctor took out a file folder, Clark sped through the complex as fast as he could, knocking over a desk lamp in a nearby empty office. At that moment Dr. Hamilton put down the folder as he and the General left the room to check out the noise.

Quick as a flash Clark sped into the room, quickly took pictures of the contents of the folder, and then sped out of the room. The General and the Doctor, thankfully, didn't notice anything. Clark then walked out of the building, unable to wipe the smile from his face.


	10. Chapter 10

Superman: The Ark of Krypton

Chapter 10

By

Jason Richard

After finishing his article for the Daily Planet, detailing his interview at S.T.A.R. Labs, Clark went home. Back in his modest apartment Clark looked over the pictures he had taken of those classified documents. They were maps, marking several locations around the world. He didn't know what he would find when he got there, but he knew he was going to check them out.

But he wouldn't be doing that as Clark Kent.

He put on that red and blue suit, held onto the maps, and decided the first place he wanted to go. Before that, however, he had some crime fighting to do. It was about the hour when crime really started to get going. He would discourage any trouble before he left the city, and then leave for the first location.

With that, he flew out of his Apartment.

…

Bruno Mannheim didn't work from an office. In the more...disreputable parts of Metropolis he worked off a balcony on the top floor of a nightclub. He enjoyed the view...and his secretary working in the main office would probably be the first to face cops if anything went down south. Bruno could use the secret elevator in the back to escape, and then lay lie low until the heat died down. He had it all planned out.

But he didn't know what he'd do now that this Superman guy was a fact.

He was scratching his mustache, trying to think of how he was going to do business now, when the door to his private balcony opened. In walked Mercy Graves, a striking woman who both intrigued and terrified him. Mannheim could remember when one of his thugs had gotten a little too friendly with her and had ended up trapped in one of those giant garbage boxes in a back alley...with his legs broken.

Naturally, at the approach of this woman, Mannheim put on his most welcoming smile.

"Mrs. Graves," said Mannheim. "What a pleasant…"

"Speaking with you is hardly pleasant, Mannheim." she said disdainfully, much to his displeasure.

"Mrs. Graves," said Mannheim. "Surely you aren't still mad about…"

"You're previous attempts at flirting?" said Mercy. "Hadn't crossed my mind. Anyway," said Mercy. "We need to adjourn to somewhere a little more...soundproof."

Mannheim, coming to terms with the fact that this was a difficult woman, nodded, "Gotcha covered."

…

In a back office of the club, Mannheim locked the door and then sat down at a desk. It was a messy area, filled with piles and piles of paperwork, but Mannheim also kept a Lexcorp soundproofing device in that room for just such an occasion, a device next to the desk which he promptly turned on. Though the effect wasn't visible, it send out a wave that deadened all sound as it passed a certain radius in that room. Anyone within that radius could hear fine, but anyone outside that radius would look at them and hear nothing.

Mercy, standing over him, wasted no time, "I'll make this brief Mannheim. In order to conduct your usual affairs, Mr. Luthor suggests that all business be done in silence, under protection of soundproofing devices. Reviews of videos where this Superman interfered with illegal activity suggest that he only arrived after the crime was spoken off outside the protection of such devices."

"Wait," said Mannheim. "You think he hears people wherever they are and that's how he busts us? Good grief! How's a guy supposed to make a dishonest living anymore?"

"That's actually the second reason why I'm here," said Mercy. "Lex is working on a way to neutralize this Superman as we speak."

Mannheim cracked an uncertain smile, "Should have known. Guy shows up in town who can lift a building, and it didn't faze our Mr. Luthor one bit."

While Mercy didn't think it failed to get under Lex's skin at all, she wasn't about to disclose that to this character.

"As I was saying," said Mercy. "Most of Lex's projects are a bit uncertain at the moment, but our S.T.A.R. Labs informant, before going rogue, did let us know of one experiment that showed promise. We know you have spies and informants of your own at major technology groups."

"Of course," said Mannheim. "I am a connoisseur of technology...especially if it can make the cops go, Boom!" he said, emphasizing the explosion with his hands.

"Indeed," said Mercy, rolling her eyes as she handed him a folder. "Lex would like you to arrange an...accident at S.T.A.R. labs, adding his own unique contribution to their research."

"And I suppose it's going to need a human test subject," said Mannheim, rubbing his chin as he looked over the file. "That one informant Rudy Jones has been asking for more money lately. No one will miss him...yeah this looks easy enough."

"Whatever," said Mercy, walking away. "Just get it done and Lex will pay you. By the way, I'd better not catch you gazing at me with a silly grin as I walk away. I'm sure even you're smart enough to know the consequences."

Mannheim kept his eyes glued to the file and said, "You got it." He had to admit to himself, while he would prefer to do business with a beautiful woman, she was in many ways harder to deal with than her boss.

…

That night Clark flew all over the world, visiting the locations on the map. Paris. France. Germany. China. Arabia. Africa. Australia. He didn't know why he he hadn't tried this for. Flying over the world in a matter of minutes. It was amazing.

Occasionally he would stop a mugger or something and put a stop to it, but with a lot of people wondering about just how powerful this Superman was, few people were risking any illegal behavior, so he didn't see much.

In each of the locations, Superman either found a strange object buried in the ground, or an indentation in the earth where one used to be. Considering, as he understood it, that the map was tracking origins of that pulse the alien artifacts must have been there at some point. Something had to have sent out that signal after all. That meant other people were collecting the artifacts as well, though he didn't encounter any of them.

By the end of that night, or day depending on what part of the world he was in, he had collected several alien artifacts. He then went back to the farm, eager to see what they were.


	11. Chapter 11

Superman: The Ark of Krypton

Chapter 11

By

Jason Richard

Back at his parents barn, in the basement where his pod was hidden, Clark stood in a white shirt and jeans, readjusted his glasses, and lay out the five artifacts he had collected on a nearby table. The objects varied in size from a golf ball to a volleyball, and varied in shape from a perfect sphere to a white crystal.

What they did he had no idea, but he had to try something. Unfortunately the particular artifact he needed didn't appear to be there. Nothing matched the slot that currently glowed with a red light, so he decided to take each artifact to the pod and see what happened.

One was a perfect black sphere the size of a golf ball with a few symbols etched into it. He held it next to the pod, but nothing happened. He tried the next object, a volleyball sized device shaped vaguely like a part in a car, but sleeker and shiner. That did nothing as well.

Next he tried a hand sized disk with bumps all over it, and a forearm length pole with lights on the inside, but both failed to get any results either. Finally he took the white crystal as large as a human heart and held it over the pod. At first it didn't do anything, and Clark began to get discouraged…

And then the pod hummed to life.

Clark got excited. The original port that lit up didn't change, but another slot opened, just big enough for the crystal. he slid it in, and the slot closed, seemingly leaving no sign that there was a slot there. The pod then hummed to life, and Clark waited eagerly for it to do something.

It projected a light onto the wall, in the shape of words. At first they were symbols Clark Didn't recognize, but then they reorganized into english.

"Adjusting language, english absorbed. Power levels recharged to 1%. Time for short message. More artifacts needed to restart pod. Second Power crystal and navigation coil can be found at the following locations."

Clark quickly scanned the information, which was two sets of longitude and latitude coordinates. Apparently the pod also had another message.

"Identity compromised. Anonymity critical. Physiology not entirely indestructible. Vulnerable to various forms of radiation. To protect identity, place commonly worn object in receptacle."

A slot opened, just large enough for a small piece of clothing. Clark had been worried about his identity, so he figured he'd use his glasses. He wore them everyday after all. However, he realized he was about to go on another item hunt instead of getting answers. He had to know, before this thing ran out of power.

"Who am I?" asked Clark. "Answer that first."

For a moment the pod did nothing. Clark waited with baited breath, and then the pod gave one final message.

"Born name...Kal-El...species...kryptonian...planet of origin...Krypton." and then it gave space coordinates. "No more time. Power draining."

Clark quickly put the glasses in the receptacle. It closed, the pod hummed for a moment, and then the receptacle opened, revealing his glasses. Then the pod went dark, apart from that one glowing slot.

Clark took his glasses, but noticed nothing out of the ordinary at first. He then used his X-Ray vision. The glasses were laced with tiny grooves in the shape of various symbols, invisible to the naked eye, but obvious to Clark's eyes. Within those grooves were small devices, smaller even than grains of dust, but Clark had no idea what they were for.

He also felt confused. He finally had an answer to where he came from. But the nature of it confused him. He was an alien from another planet? How did he end up here? Why did he end up here? What did this mean for him?

…

Clark told his Ma and Pa the entire story of what had happened, and the message at the end. When he was done the Kents looked at each other, and then back at Clark, a little overwhelmed by one point in particular.

"Did it say what kind of radiation you're vulnerable to?" asked Pa. "I kind of felt I didn't have to worry so much when I found you were bulletproof, and now I'm all worried again.

Clark sighed, giving a small smile. Leave it to his Pa to make him feel better without really trying. "Not really...no. I'm a little more disturbed to find I'm an alien myself. I mean...what do I make of that?"

"There's nothing you need make of it dear," said Ma Kent sweetly. "It's not like you just became an alien. This was true before, even if we didn't know it, so since you haven't changed, why should we change how we look at you?"

"Besides," said Pa Kent. "You being an alien was one of our first guesses when we found that pod. Kind of a relief when the powers came in actually. If I'm going to be frank with you, I was afraid you'd turn green or grow tentacles or something."

"Pa!" said Ma Kent, alarmed.

"Sorry," said Pa Kent, looking down.

Clark just laughed, "Don't worry it's fine. And...thank you."

"Our pleasure dear," said Ma Kent. "Now, let's see how those glasses work."

Clark got out the glasses that the pod had altered at put them on. Ma and Pa Kent looked at him for a moment before squinting. Clark waited for them to say something, but got a little impatient after the first thirty seconds.

"Well?" said Clark.

"It's strange," said Pa Kent. "You look different...but I can't say how."

"It…" said Ma Kent uncertainly. "It's like...I don't know. I'm not sure 'look' is the right word for it...but you do seem different."

"Yeah," said Pa Kent. "I don't know how it works, but it should keep people from knowing you're Superman. Hey...wait...aren't they going to take your picture for the Daily Planet website? Will this thing work with pictures?"

"A good question," said Ma, reaching for a nearby camera. She held it up, and Clark smiled for it twice, once with the glasses on, and once with the glasses off.

The three of them then hovered over the camera as Ma Kent put the screen back and forth between the two pictures.

"Wow," she said.

"I know," said Pa. "He looks exactly the same in both of them...and yet…"

"He somehow...feels different in each," said Ma.

"Yeah," said Pa.

"Well," said Clark, looking at the glasses in his hand. "They work. I don't know how but they work." he didn't mention that the glasses didn't seem to work on him as he looked at the pictures, but that wasn't important anyway. "And tomorrow, a real test." he continued. "How will my coworkers see me?"

And after he found that out he'd figure out where those Longitude and Latitude coordinates he recieved were.


	12. Chapter 12

Superman: The Ark of Krypton

Chapter 12

By

Jason Richard

Clark Kent walked through The Daily Planet with his new glasses. He got occasional glances now and then, and a few people said he looked different, but no one seemed to know what it was. The real test, however, would he be people he'd be working with.

Walking into the main office, hearing the Elvis song Heartbreak Hotel coming from Mr. White's private office, the first person Clark spoke to was Jimmy Olsen. The young photographer was sorting through some photos when Clark walked up to him.

"Good Morning Jimmy," said Clark.

"Good Moooor...what?" said Jimmy, scrunching his face. "You...what did you do? You look different."

Clark had to stifle a laugh as he said, "I don't know what you're talking about. I'm the same as I ever was."

Clark couldn't help but snigger...just a little.

Jimmy eyed him suspiciously, a smirk forming at the corner of his mouth. "You're hiding something."

In plain sight, thought Clark. "No." he said, shaking his head. "You've got me all wrong."

"Yeah right," said Jimmy, not believing him. "Hey Lois, does Clark look different to you?"

Lois, walking by, gave Clark one look and said, "New glasses."

For a second Glark got a little nervous, but Lois didn't seem to notice anything out of the ordinary, "No...Same glasses. I'm surprised Miss Lane. You're usually more observant."

Lois rolled her eyes as he picked up a stack of paper and straightened them up, saying, "Oh please. As if that were a major detail. If you look different it's probably your overconfidence after that STAR labs interview. It will pass."

And she walked off. Clark didn't really know what to make of that encounter, and supposed that the real test of how well the glasses worked would be when she saw him as Superman again, without the glasses.

"Hey boss!" said jimmy as Perry White walked by. "Doesn't Clark look different."

White took one look at Clark and said, "Nope. Still looks like a rookie to me." and he went on with what he was doing. In truth that response didn't surprise Clark at all.

Jimmy sighed, "Man, I'd like to call myself a great mind, but no one ever seems to think alike to prove it."

"I'm sure you'll get your moment someday," said Clark, and with that he went to his desk to begin his workday. He had a lot to do...but first he took a second to get on his computer and look up the coordinates his pod had given him, now that he had a moment. The first set came up somewhere in the atlantic ocean. Not much competition for that one. It was the second set that worried him.

There was, apparently, an alien artifact from his home planet hiding out in Lexcorp. That was bad. Really bad. He didn't feel comfortable just barging in as Superman and taking it...for a number of reasons. It sent a bad message if he used his power like that, if there was any place in the world with whatever kind of radiation that could hurt him, it was a science facility...and he was certain there were other reasons, but didn't feel like going through all of them in his head.

He needed a way in as a reporter, but that wasn't going to be easy. As far as he knew few reporters ever got inside Lexcorp, which one of those few being Lois Lane.

He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. May he himself didn't have to get in as a reporter. He'd have to be careful. The last thing he wanted to do was put her in danger. First thing he needed to do was scope out the place with his X-Ray Vision. Until then, he'd just do his job.

Little did he know that Lex Luthor's plan to do something about Superman was well underway, as at that exact moment Bruno Manheim was paying someone a little visit for that very purpose.

...

Thanks to all the readers for their support of this story. I really mean that.

Jason.


	13. Chapter 13

Superman: The Ark of Krypton

Chapter 13

By

Jason Richard

Rudy Jones was a massive freeloader. After dropping out of high school his parents finally kicked him out at the age of fifteen for refusing to go back to school or get a job. For the next couple of years he lived with his so called "friends" until they got fed up with him eating their food and making huge messes that he refused to clean up. Once or twice he even ordered things online using their credit cards. Needless to say he ran out of friends fairly quickly, and at the age of twenty two was forced to finally get a job as a janitor, or have nowhere to live.

He hated it.

But it kept him at that house a little longer, now that he actually could pay some of the expenses. He still hated it, but it served him.

As he got older, however, it provided an opportunity. The job he had gotten was at STAR Labs, and occasionally he could get a hold of some document or something of value and sell it to the right person. It was work, so naturally he hated it, but he found that he loved the money so he put up with it. Being an illegal act, it naturally paid well.

With this Superman guy flying around, however, illegal activity was more dangerous than ever. Naturally he felt he should get greater compensation. Little did he know that this line of thinking is what ultimately sealed his fate.

On this particular day Rudy was sitting in the lazy chairr in his run down, shabby apartment, watching football and sipping bear from a can. He himself was only thirty one, but he looked forty five, and had a perpetually grumpy face on. His "bachelor pad" was messy, littered with junk food wrappers, and had one or two insects crawling around that Rudy paid no mind to. What he did pay at least a little mind to, albeit begrudgingly, was the knock on the door.

KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK! "Hey Jones!" shouted an angry man's voice. "Where's that rent you owe?! You're a week past due!"

"Payday's tomorrow!" Rudy shouted back. "I'll pay you then!"

"You'd better! And would you clean out that pig sty?! The smell is driving away new tenants! And some current ones! How's a guy suppose to make a living around here?!"

"Whatever," said Rudy, before shouting back. "You know you might want to stop nagging me. People will think you're my wife!"

"Don't you get clever with me you jerk." said the voice. "I'm this close to kicking you out."

Whatever, thought Rudy. He watched football for a few more moments before there was another knock on the door.

"I told you I'll pay you tomorrow!" shouted Rudy.

"You pay me?" came Bruno Manheims voice. "That'd be a change alright."

Rudy's eyes went wide as he rushed up to answer the door. As he opened the door his second, secret boss stood in front of him, twirling his mustache impatiently.

"I'm so sorry sir, come in!" he said.

Bruno stepped in and winced at the sound of his foot crinkling a used chip bag. He took a deep breath and let Rudy lead him to a chair in the living room, stepping over various forms of trash as he went. As they walked, Manheim resisted the urge to hold his nose and ignore the smell that, disturbingly, he couldn't identify.

They sat down, and Manheim immediately wanted to prevent more groveling.

"Let me cut to the chase," said Manheim. "You've been asking for more money, I'm here to give you a chance to earn it. There's a storage container that our mutual partner, Lexcorp, would like to obtain for itself. It has to be kept in a cold environment, however, so in order to transport it you will have to add a new component, which you can inject into a port on the contain itself."

He handed Rudy a folder and a zipper back with some sort of syringe in it. Rudy took it eagerly.

"Hey," he said eagerly. "Mr. Manheim, you got it. But what about…"

"Superman?" said Manheim. "I know the guy covers everything from car accidents and kittens in trees to bank robberies and pickpocketing…"

"He caught a pickpocketer?" said Rudy.

"Three," Manheim sighed. "But not to worry. He can't be in two places at once...so far as we know anyway. We have a little...distraction planned, but you don't need to worry about that. Everything you need to know is in the folder. The location of the container, the route you take, everything. Don't worry, the plan is synchronized with your work schedule. Are we good?"

"Absolutely Mr. Manheim." said Rudy, place the items down. "I won't let you down. No sir."

"Good," said Manheim, standing up to escape that place as fast as possible. "And Rudy, if I'm going to be giving you missions, I'd like to not be assaulted by...whatever smell this is."

"Oh sure," said Rudy, nodding enthusiastically. "I'll get this place cleaned up. Right away."

"Good," said Manheim, walking out of the apartment. "I'm counting on you."

"Like I said," said Rudy, following, "I won't let you down." he opened the door, let Manheim out, closed it, and immediately scowled, saying, "Man I hate sucking up to that guy."

"Excuse me?" said Manheim on the other side of the door.

"Nothing!" said Rudy quickly. "Nothing!" he laughed nervously, and then sighed in exasperation.

Manheim, meanwhile, was glad this guy would be Luthor's problem once this was over and Rudy Jones was just a guinea pig. He really hated phony respect.

…

Car and other accidents were always different for Superman than an armed robbery or a mugger. A guy with a gun was actually pretty easy to deal with. Bullets didn't hurt him after all, and no one could outrun him. Accidents, however, were a different story. When several cars went out of control Superman had the strength to move them around, but if he made one wrong move me might make things worse.

Once, before Superman had revealed himself, or called himself Superman for that Matter, Clark rushed into an accident, pushed the cars out of each other's way, only to realize one of the cars was now headed towards a group of people. He had of course ran over, reached under the car and pulled it to a stop, only to realize that the other car was about to hit a street light, that if knocked over could spell disaster. He pulled that one to a stop and then rushed out of there before anyone could spot him.

It was the first time since his powers kicked in that he truly felt overwhelmed. Not because he was afraid he'd get hurt, mind you, but because it was the first time he realized the potential harm his strength could cause, and that helped to give him...kid gloves when dealing with large accidents, so as not to wreak havoc and destruction by throwing his weight around.

Though until a particular day, such overwhelming situations had never deliberately caused by a human being.

On this day, Clark was minding his own business, trying to hail a taxi to get to a town hall meeting to report on it, and he was resisting the urge to just fly there. It was at this moment that he heard something he hadn't heard before. Something big was stopping through the city, right at the Metropolis City Bank.

Clark abandoned what he was doing and quick as a flash changed into his Superman costume in an alley and flew at blinding speed to the sight. When he got there, he hovered for a moment and took in what was going on.

What he saw was a giant robot, about ten feet tall, that marched towards the bank, leaving cracks in the ground with each thundering step and sent people fleeing with fear. It had a red line for vision, two railguns on it's arms, and a titanium shell. It also looked suspiciously like one of the robots from the Lexcorp Expo, but Clark didn't have time to worry about that. He had a job to do.

Meanwhile, in other parts of the city, Manheim, who was personally controlling the robot through virtual reality gear, told one of his men to page Rudy Jones. He had his distraction, so it was time for his mission.


	14. Chapter 14

Superman: The Ark of Krypton

Chapter 14

By

Jason Richard

Rudy Jones got the signal on his pager from Manheim and groaned. He had just finished cleaning out the restrooms at STAR Labs and this mission would cut into his break. He realized that was exactly the point, as it gave him an excuse to be out of sight, but he decided to be sour about it anyway...despite telling himself that he'd get more money out of it.

He put away his janitorial equipment in the storage closet, locked it up, and very carefully made his way to where the storage container he was supposed to steal was located.

…

The robot's torso turned, leaving it's legs to walk in the same direction. The turn wasn't really faster than Superman, but it was at least fast enough to catch him by surprise. Equally surprising was the force of the fist-sized bullet that struck him in the chest. The bullet, leaving behind a trail of spiraling smoke, sent him flying backwards and rolling across the pavement..

What he had been hit with was a railgun, a weapon that shot a titanium projectile not with a gunpowder explosion, but with electromagnetic force. The bullet, when shot, travelled at a speed of Mach 10, the latest in military technology.

Of course, despite the wide-eyed look on his face at the point of impact, it didn't really hurt Superman that much. He might have compared it to a punch in the gut, had he known what that felt like to most people, but since most punches to him hurt the attacker more than him the thought never really occurred to him.

As Superman got up he saw the robot crash through the front door of the bank, and with his X-Ray vision saw people in the lobby about to be crushed by falling debris. With a determined look on his face, Superman flew at high speed, grabbed the three civilians in his arms, and dropped them off outside the bank. He then flew back in, eager to take this thing down before people really did get hurt.

…

When someone was already within a security system, even in a limited capacity like Rudy Jones, it was easier to hack them security clearance undetected. Rudy Jones was sometimes allowed into restricted areas to clean, but only under supervision. This meant that Rudy did have access codes, but someone with the right clearance had to unlock them. All the intergang hackers had to do was hack that particular line of code, and sure enough when Rudy got to the room where the storage container was being kept his codes were unlocked. He put them in and went inside without any hiccups whatsoever.

Inside he actually found quite a bit of storage containers lined on shelves, but fortunately, he was able to find the one he was looking for very quickly. Good thing too. It was cold in that room, and he wanted out of there quickly. He took out the syringe he had been given, injected the substance into the port on the container, picked up the container by handles on the side, and tried to leave the room.

He couldn't leave by the same route, however, as his codes would lock themselves the moment he used them. He knew other doors would be temporarily unlocked, however, so he made his way to them.

As he went, it occurred to him that the route Manheim's instructions laid out was a rather indirect path to take, but figured the guy knew what he was doing.

…

For a moment Superman allowed the Robot to move towards the vault, and he focused on flying in, picking up civilians and getting them to safety. When there were no more civilians in the bank Superman flew back in, only to find that robotic tentacles latched onto the massive vault and began ripping it from the wall.

It then turned its torso again, throwing the massive titanium vault door directly at Superman. Superman braced himself and caught the vault, the force of it sending him back a few feet, before Superman gripped the metal, leaving indentations in it, and swung it around in a circle, going faster and faster until he threw the massive piece of metal back at the robot.

The robot, which for a few moments had been taking bags of money with the tentacles and putting together into a container in its chest, quickly stopped when it was doing and turned its torso again. One of the gun arms spun around in its socket until the gun was hidden inside the arm and a giant, electromagnetic jackhammer took its place.

The robot pulled its arm back and used the jackhammer to hit the vault door with an incredible amount of force, sending it crashing to the floor and flattening various pieces of furniture.

At that moment Superman flew at incredible speed and punched the robot right in the face, making a sound like a large bell being rung and sending it staggering back. With that one punch Superman could tell it was durable, so he made a move to disarm it, grabbing the barrel of one of its guns and bending it back on itself, making a creaking noise as it did.

Unfortunately, that gave the other arm time to attack. The electromagnetic jackhammer whammed Superman right in the chest, sending him flying back. Superman recovered, and hovered for a moment, but the Robot just switched the same arm back to a gun and blasted him again, sending him crashing back through the wall and tumbling out onto the street.

In a dark room, controlling the robot with virtual reality equipment, Bruno Mannheim grinned, realizing just how much fun this all was.

Back outside the bank Superman got up quickly and flew back in as the robot grabbed a few more bags of money with its robotic tentacles and then started stomping out.

Meanwhile, out in the street, Jimmy Olsen and Lois Lane got out of a Taxi, ready to report on this. Jimmy immediately got out his camera and started taking pictures, a big grin on his face.

"He's fighting a giant robot," he said. "A...giant...robot! This...is...AWESOME!"

"Just don't get too close," said Lois, crossing her arms. "I know it's cool and all, but I'd hate to see you get squashed because you did something stupid."

"Aww," said Jimmy. "Don't go wrecking my fun."

"Have as much fun as you want," said Lois, cracking her knuckles and grinning as she watched the fight. "Just make sure the fun doesn't wreck you."

"Wait," said Jimmy. "You're not one to miss out on the action any more than I am. You aren't going to give me that warning and then get closer yourself are you?"

Lois crossed her arms, deliberately looked away, pursed her lips and said, "No."

Jimmy eyed her suspiciously.

It turned out that keeping a distance was sound advice, as Superman began pummeling the robot, sending it staggering backward as he attacked it relentlessly with his fists. It switched the bent gun arm to the jackhammer and tried to strike back, but Superman was too fast for it, and soon Superman's fists left indentations in the titanium.

The robot, however, had one final trump card. Throughout the metal frame grooves opened up, revealing little lights and other devices, which immediately turned on. The effect was blinding, and anyone who looked wouldn't see a robot, but a big ball of bright light. The other small devices were worse, as they emitted a high pitched whine that began to shatter glass on cars and windows and force people to cover their ears.

With his super sensitive eyes and ears, Superman was even more vulnerable to this than everyone else. The ringing that went through his head was so unbearable he wasn't able to register the jackhammer knocking him to the ground until it was too late.

Superman stood up and grimaced as he tried to use x-ray vision, but I seemed the robot accounted even for that spectrum of light, for he was still blinded by a white radiance. Unable to see or hear as he was, he realized he couldn't fight safely without destroying everything around him. His next thought was, now what?

...

Rudy Jones carried the container through a few doors where his codes were unlocked, before entering a room with a giant machine in the middle. Inside that machine was a chamber with two exits. Rudy would have to pass through this machine to get out of that room.

Now an intelligent man might have realized what was going on at this point. Rudy Jones, however, was no such man. He walked blindly into that machine and sure enough, it closed in on him. The intergang hackers were busy at work alright. Confused he dropped the container and tried to pull open the glass doors with his hands. No such luck.

When the machine hummed to life, Rudy forgot he was not supposed to be there and started yelling for help. Little did he realize that the storage container he had been carrying began to release a vapor into the air due to chemical components he himself place in, activated by the machine around him.

That is until he started coughing...and felt a burning sensation in his chest. Fearing for his life, began calling for help even louder.

…

Superman was knocked over as another railgun bullet hit him. He stood, only to be knocked over again. He might have avoided the bullets or even knocked them away, but he still couldn't see through the light and sound the massive robot was giving off. The robot, however, could see him as it had a connection to several satellites in orbit. The satellites, using scanners at multiple angles to detect absences of light (AKA shadows), were able to pinpoint Superman's approximate location as well as nearby terrain, meaning the robot could see, but Superman couldn't.

As he was knocked over by another bullet, Superman realized he'd have to go full power to take this thing down. That, however, was dangerous, and someone could get hurt if he really cut loose. He'd only done so a couple of times, and the results had been disastrous. Once he threw a ball with all his strength, just to see how far it could go, and it had dented someone's car. Clark was lucky no one had been hurt. The second time he had tried to see how fast he could go and, well, that had broken the sound barrier. The impact sent him landing on his face, and glass nearby shattered from the boom. Clark tried not to do that, but he might have to do something like that in order to take this thing down.

He had to get it away from the city, and in a moment of inspiration, he knew what to do.

After another bullet sent him rolling across the pavement, Superman, instead of standing up, kneeled and smashed his way through the ground into the sewers below. The robot looked around, unable to find him, but keeping the light and sound show going just in case.

Under the robot, in the sewer, Superman floated and looked up. With his X-Ray vision, he still saw a blinding light above him but was able to make out a darkness where the robot's feet met the pavement. Taking a deep breath Superman gathered up the force that allowed him to fly, making water flowing beneath him ripple, and then he flew up. In an instant, he burst through the concrete pushed the robot into the air.

With his hands on the cool metal, he flew upwards with the giant robot, still blind and deaf from the devices the robot was using. The robot struggled to move its arms and legs again the wind but was paralyzed. Faster and faster they flew until Superman felt the familiar resistance of the sound barrier above them. That was the moment to strike. He pushed his flight even faster and punched the robot right through the sound barrier.

KABOOM!

Almost all of Metropolis heard the blast, and the force of it shattered the robot's lights and sound devices. The robot, not designed for breaking that particular barrier, also released sparks everywhere, shorting out from the impact, until it went limp and motionless. Superman then stopped flying and held the robot above his head, looking out over the city from above.

For a moment Superman took it in, savoring his victory and satisfied that no civilians had gotten hurt. However, for a moment he looked towards STAR labs. For just a second after the blast, when the noise finally died down, Superman could have sworn he heard someone screaming for their life...but now heard nothing except the cheering of people below him.


	15. Chapter 15

Superman: The Ark of Krypton

Chapter 15

By

Jason Richard

As the crowd continued to clap and cheer Superman very gently laid the now broken robot gently on the pavement. He felt rather overwhelmed by it, but had to admit, he could get used to this. He gave a nervous smile and then waved to the ground, thanking them for their applause. One person even said, "Way to go Superman!" He may not have chosen the name himself, but it was growing on him.

At this point the police finally showed up, but secretly Clark wouldn't be surprised if they had deliberately held back and let him deal with the killer robot. Not that he'd blame them. He'd never heard of a killer robot robbing a bank before. They probably weren't prepared for this kind of thing.

Not that Superman could be prepared for everything. At that moment, Lois Lane ran up, a tape recorder in her hand and a determined look on her face. Suddenly Clark got very nervous. After all, she'd have questions. Who was he? Where did he come from? How did he get his powers? Trouble was, he didn't really know the answers to those questions himself just yet, so he did the only sensible thing he could in that situation.

He flew off.

"Wait!" cried Lois. "I'd just like to ask a few questions! Who are you?! Where are you from!? How did you get your...aw come on!"

But Superman was out of sight within moments. Lois shook her head and said to no one in particular, "Oh I don't care how fast you are, you can't get away from me forever. I will get our questions answered...Superman."

She didn't notice Jimmy Olsen next to her, who had taken pictures just as Superman was leaving, so it was a surprise when he said, "Wow, I never thought a guy who can beat up a giant robot with his fists would be camera shy…" indicating the TV news reports that had also shown up.

Lois thought about it and said, "Huh, that is kind of surprising."

…

Pain. That was the last thing Rudy Jones remembered before passing out. Intense, burning pain welling up from his insides. The only other thing he could remember was his vision going purple, but that was about it.

The first thing he saw when he opened his eyes was a white ceiling. Rudy tried to move, but found his entire body restrained by straps. He couldn't even get a look at himself. Immediately he panicked, and began trying to thrash around...though with little success.

"Hey!" he cried out. "Hey! Let me out of this!"

He heard a door open and next to his bed stepped Dr. Hamilton, a worried look on his face. Rudy immediately began crying out louder, "Let me out of this thing! Let me out of this thing! Right now!"

"Rudy!" cried Hamilton. "Rudy! Calm down,you might hurt yourself!"

Rudy stopped moving and looked up, very frightened, "Why? What's wrong with me?" He realized he felt a little...strange. He had this strange sensation of being...empty...like he was hollow on the inside...but that didn't make any sense.

"We're not sure," said Hamilton. "But we're working on it. What on earth were you doing in the room Cellular Transfer Device?"

"Huh?" asked Rudy. "Oh that big room I got trapped in...I was...uh...cleaning."

Dr. Hamilton sighed, rubbing his forehead in exasperation. He said, "Rudy. Did you not notice the smaller room you had to pass through to get to that room in the first place?"

Rudy, in fact, had not noticed such a room when he passed through it. He had been too busy lugging around the container and thinking about his money. Now that he thought about it he did vaguely remember a sign saying, "Clean Room," a moment before entering that machine.

"Uh…" said Rudy. "I remember. What…"

"That room, Rudy," said Dr. Hamilton. "Is designed to remove all traces of dirt, debris, and microscopic organisms from people wearing air tight hazard suits. In other words no one cleans that room because it never get's dirty in the first place. You're codes shouldn't even have unlocked that room. Now, I'm going to ask you again. How did you get into that room, and what were you doing there?"

Rudy Jones felt a subtle panic start to set in.

"Uh…I…" he stammered. "I don't know anout any clean room...but I could have sworn my schedule…"

"Rudy," said Dr. Hamilton. "The truth. That storage container that was in there with you had your fingerprints all over it, as well as new chemicals injected into it. Rudy, what on earth were you doing in that…"

They were interrupted by someone else walking into the room. A sleazy looking man with slick hair and a nice suit. Rudy thought he looked like a lawyer.

"Dr. Hamilton," said the man. "I will have to ask you to kindly step away from my client."

"Client?" asked Dr. Hamilton curiously.

"Why yes," said the man. "I'm Mr. Jones's lawyer. You're head of the department has already been served a subpoena, and I'm certain you will receive one shortly as well. We'll be collecting quite a been of damages for Mr. Jones from the accident your equipment caused.

Rudy breathed a sigh of relief. Mannheim had sent a lawyer to protect his assets, or so Rudy thought. A smarter man would have realized Mannheim set him up.

"You cannot be serious," said Dr. Hamilton. "Damages? He was in a restricted area…"

"For his disfigurement," said the lawyer. "The quality of this man's life is sure to go down, causing undue emotional distress and…"

"Disfigurement?" asked Rudy, worried. "What do you mean?"

Dr. Hamilton and the lawyer looked at each other and back to Rudy befor Dr. Hamilton picked up a nearby hand mirror.

"Rudy," said Dr. Hamilton. "As far as I'm concerned you brought this on yourself by whatever you were doing in there...but I don't envy your condition."

Rudy became very frightened as Dr. Hamilton brought him the mirror and showed him his reflection.

Rudy's skin was a deep purple, as if his entire body was covered in bruises. The blood veins in his skin that originally had been light blue and hard to see now bulged with a white liquid. In short Rudy didn't look like himself anymore. He didn't even look human now.

The sight of it made him scream in horror.

…

Clark Kent sat in the balcony of his Apartment, wearing a t-shirt and jeans while staring at the sunset and thinking about what had happened at the bank. Part of him thought it couldn't be a coincidence that such technology showed up so soon after Clark revealed his power to the world. He knew this technology was coming anyway, but he hadn't anticipated just how quickly it would end up on the streets...before even being used by the military no less.

He realized it was inevitable that this sort of thing would happen. Superman was a radical change to the world, and people would respond radically. For a moment he wondered if revealing his power to the world had really been a good idea. But then...this technology would have come sooner or later anyway, and people would have gotten hurt if he had done nothing, so he stopped worrying about that.

As he cracked his knuckles he thought about what did worry him. Where had that robot come from? Police reports given after the incident said that upon examination of the robot that it had all the hallmarks of tech stolen by intergang...whom Clark realized he couldn't hear...no matter how hard he tried. He could only wait until they acted, and that disturbed him.

He also began to wonder about Lexcorp. Luthor had, apparently, admitted that the robot had been stolen by Intergang, but upon examination of public police records Clark noticed that a lot of their tech came from Lexcorp. It made sense as it was a leader in the industry, but Clark also figured that such a company should get better security if they have this much theft in their wake. He was beginning to think Lois was right about Lexcorp. He'd heard her talk several times about how corrupt she thinks it is….even if she had no concrete evidence to back up that hunch.

Lois Lane. He sighed, remembering that look on her face earlier that day. She was apparently wasn't going to give up trying to find out Superman's story. Clark figured that when he had more answers himself he'd certainly tell her, so she could tell the world. Too many questions clouded his mind however.

Why would a race with powers like his send him to a place with people as vulnerable as this, where their most advanced technology is barely a challenge for him? He must have been sent to use his powers, and use them for something dangerous, because the suit he was given was as durable as he was, taking gunfire like it was nothing. He figured he'd tell the truth when he found it, but had to admit that the prospect of his being sent to that planet to take over, which he realized he could easily do, was something that made him a little scared to dig more into where he came from.

He had to admit, it had been quite a rush fighting such a powerful looking device by himself, but that rush also scared him. What if he got too drunk on power and accidentally hurt someone? He didn't like that idea. Still, he realized that there was no point wondering. All he could do was dig up the truth, until then, he'd try to find some way to get Lois Lane of Superman's case. Maybe he could slip her a lead to uncovering Lexcorp like she wanted, which would kill two birds with one stone he realized. Then again that might be dangerous.

He stood up and sighed, deciding, in the end, to just sleep on it all. It had been a big day.


	16. Chapter 16

Superman: The Ark of Krypton

Chapter 16

By

Jason Richard

Lois ran her article the next day, naturally.

Steely Battle in Downtown Metropolis:

Yesterday afternoon Metropolis citizens were sent running in terror as a giant mechanized weapon was seen stomping through the city streets, leaving an immense amount of property damage in it's wake. It also caused incalculable damage to Metropolis City bank, and would have gotten away were it not for the heroic efforts of the city's new superhero, Superman.

In an incredible display of strength the flying vigilante took on the robot hand to hand, giving the massive device a run for its money. The robot in question has been confirmed to be a stolen prototype designed by Lexcorp, so it seems even Earth's finest technology is no match for Superman. A man who can punch metal and win. A true Man of Steel.

When asked if Superman made local law enforcement obsolete, every cop at the scene declined to comment.

…

Clark took a deep breath as he walked into the Daily Planet main office, Elvis Music coming from earbuds in Perry White's personal office. Clark had already retrieved the alien artifact from the ocean before coming here, and now he only had to get the one from Lexcorp.

It did occur to him that he would effectively be stealing the artifact. A large part of him wasn't comfortable with that. He tried to reason that it was from this Krypton place, so technically it belonged to him...but he was still having trouble with the idea that this Krypton planet belonged to him, especially since he knew so little about it, so that line of reasoning barely took.

The only other thing that might make the idea more palpable was whatever Lexcorp planned to do with it. After all, if they were as crooked as some believed they could be using it for something illegal. All he knew was that he had to find it.

To do that he would need Lois Lane's help, though he really didn't relish the idea of asking her.

But nevertheless walked up to Lois's desk, readjusted his glasses, and said, "Hey Lois, have a minute?"

"Careful asking me that," said Lois with a sly grin as she typed at her desk. "I might just look at my watch and take it literally."

"You know what I mean," said Clark, trying to hide his impatience. He wanted to get this done. "I know this Superman is the big news story of the day, but are you still interested in getting dirt on Lexcorp?"

"Let me save you some time in the future," said Lois, turning around in her chair. "The answer to that question is always going to be yes. Are you suggesting a team up?"

"Yes and no," said Clark. "I have another story I think has potential, it's just related to Lexcorp...here."

He handed her the information he had officially gotten on the crashed ship everyone was looking for. He didn't share his connection to it, but felt he gave her just enough to get her interested.

"Here's the thing," said Clark. "Everyone's looking for this ship, and while no one knows for certain I have it on good authority that people suspect it's extraterrestrial in origin. Now aliens might have seemed far fetched recently, but I think with Superman in town we can afford to take the tabloids a little more seriously...if you catch my meaning."

"I think I see what you're getting at," said Lois, still looking over the files. "If Lexcorp has info on this ship, and is trying to develop technology from it, then he's essentially selling extraterrestrial technology. That's going to turn a lot of heads, which could be a chance to catch him selling to illegal clients, like gangs or terrorists."

"No one could accuse you of being slow on the uptake Miss Lane," said Clark. "You get your story taking down Lexcorp, and I get a story about an alien ship...and we'll compete for the front page afterwards. How does that sound?"

"Clark," said Lois, looking over the files gleefully. "I don't care what page it's on. So long as I get this story, I'm good. You've got a deal. I'll call my contacts and see about getting us into Lexcorp."

"Thanks," said Clark, relieved to get this question out of the way. Suddenly he got curious about something, and while he figured he was going to regret it, he asked a question.

"Why so keen on taking down Lexcorp anyway?" asked Clark.

The question surprised Lois. No one had ever really asked her that before. It wasn't as if any decent person needed a reason to take out someone so obviously corrupt as Lex Luthor. She did, however, have a reason for her doing this so passionately.

Her father was an army general, and as kids Lois and her sister Lucy were brought up to follow in his footsteps. He came from a family that idolized the military, and it showed. He constantly went on and on about how they protected their homeland from enemies and made hard sacrifices that needed to be made so that others wouldn't have to. Apparently he figured that Lois and Lucy had to though. He really been gunning for them to join the military to, and Lois, for most of her life, hated that.

Not that she had a problem with the military itself. She did respect what they did and would happily thank them for her service, it was just the way her father had tried to get her to enlist. She only word she could come up with was nagging, and that never sat well with her.

However, something of what her father said about such work did get through to her a little. While she wouldn't be taking up physical arms against bad people, she could take up intellectual arms. She'd fight evil alright, she'd just do it on her own terms. That's why, as a reporter, she considered it her duty to blow the whistle on corruption wherever she found it.

And now she had found it at Lexcorp. If she could just prove it…

But she wasn't going to share any of this with the rookie, so she said, "I just want to see the look on Luthor's face when I finally bust him."

Clark laughed and said, "I'll make sure Jimmy has his camera ready so you can post it on the wall."

"How sweet," said Lois. "But I should warn you not to be too disappointed if my story **is** the one that makes the front page. Just a warning. Now get out of my space. I've got work to do."

Lois turned back to her computer and Clark walked off, not needing to be told twice.

…

Lex rarely called Manheim from his office, but this was a special occasion. As far as Luthor knew the experiment, where Rudy Jones was the subject, had gone forth as planned. Naturally he was eager for details.

"So?" said Lex over the phone. "How did it go?"

"He fell for it," said Manheim as he talked on the phone in his own office. "And while I don't know if it worked, it did something. According to my the lawyer we sent to represent Mr. Jones he looks like a real freak a nature."

"So long as his ability can be engineered against the other freak of nature in Metropolis," said Lex. "I don't care what he looks like."

"Not to worry," said "Manheim, we're arranging for Rudy to through more experiments when he's not in court. Boss...I gotta ask...I may be no scientist, but what are you looking for in this experiment? What do you expect to happen when Rudy Jones comes into contact with another living thing?"

He heard Luthor chuckle over the phone before replying, "Let's just say...if this experiment is successful, I hope to harness Superman's power for us. Imagine what we could do with that."

"The ability to punch a tank and win?" asked Manheim, a grin across his face. "I'm in...just as long as there are no costumed capes involved."

"I wouldn't dream of making you look that ridiculous," said Luthor, chuckling some more. "Just be ready. The arrival of Superman is going to change the world...though not in the way everyone thinks if I have any say about it."

And with that he hung up.

...

Hey guys, as always thanks for reading. I just wanted to let you know that I'll be out of town for the Holidays, so my writing will be on Hiatus for the next few weeks. I did want to get a little bit out before I left though, as well as my promise that I will be back shortly after the holiday season. Again, thanks for all your kind words for this story. It really means a lot to me.

See you soon.

Jason.


	17. Chapter 17

Superman: The Ark of Krypton

Chapter 17

By

Jason Richard

Rudy Jones was let free of his restraints once he calmed down, but that didn't mean he was happy. He was given a better room, with a comfy bed and a TV, but that didn't mean he was happy. He was served a bigger meal than he had ever had in his life, but that didn't mean he was happy.

How could he be happy, looking like a freak?

He kept going to the mirror in the bathroom, his hands resting on the side of the sink, and looking at himself, at his purple skin and white veins, and thinking how he would ever recover from this.

Finally, his lawyer, or rather Bruno Manheim's lawyer, entered the room.

"Mr. Jones," said the lawyer. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I could throw up at any time," said Rudy. "I also feel...weird...like I'm hollow inside...even though I've still got all my guts. You know?"

"No," said the Lawyer. "Not really. But that's why I'd like to have a doctor I selected check you out."

"The Star Labs guys already did," said Rudy.

"Yes," said the lawyer. "But I'm certain they sugarcoated it to avoid any legal ramifications. We'll get you checked out by a more...thorough doctor who'll run some tests and see if there are any long term side effects. Those, of course, would be the bad news if there is any. The good news is that with even just the disfigurement, the settlement you get from this case would leave you set for life. You'd never have to work again."

Suddenly Rudy felt a lot better, a goofy grin spreading across his face. "Well alright!" he said, stretching out his hand.

The lawyer backed off and said, "Um...the Star Labs doctors did clear you for human contact right? I doubt even they'd be stupid enough to let you out if you were dangerous to others, but still..."

"Oh yeah," said Rudy. "Dr. Hamilton said I should be fine."

"Okay," said the Lawyer, giving out his own hand.

As Rudy would soon find out, however, he wasn't quite as safe as he thought. Everyone else he had been in contact with before had been a doctor wearing rubber gloves. This was the first moment his skin came in contact with someone else's. Upon contact Rudy felt even stranger than before. The emptiness he had been feeling suddenly became not unlike the empty vacuum of space, pulling some force into him, a force that Rudy couldn't identify.

That force came right out of the lawyer in front of him, whose face became shocked before he passed out, falling to the floor, completely comatose.

The next thing Rudy felt, which he somehow knew was the last thing the lawyer felt before passing out, was a draining sensation, like something being ripped out of him, and a sense of panic.

But that passed quickly. The next thing he felt was confusion. What had just happened? The doctor said he shouldn't be dangerous! And this guy on the floor...oh no! What if he got blamed? He didn't even know how it happened!

It's okay, he thought, remembering his years at law school. Given his unique medical condition he'd just claim that this was a result of a perfectly consensual test of his condition, to see if he was really as safe as the Star Labs doctors claimed. If he claimed different, then it was his word against Rudy's, and reasonable doubt had to be allowed.

Wait...thought Rudy. When did I think like this? Normally other people talking like this made his head swim. And when did I ever go to law school?

Then it hit him. He never did. This lawyer had. The more he thought about it, the more he realized he had a bunch of memories swimming around in his head that didn't belong to him. A law school rudy had never attended, friends he had never known, people he'd never worked for, self defense classes he'd never taken, a wife he'd never romanced, another man's entire life swimming through his head.

For a few moments he was disturbed. What was going on? Then, however, he came across a certain memory involving Bruno Mannheim.

"Don't worry," said Manheim in the dream. "Mr. Luthor says that the process shouldn't make Rudy dangerous. Wouldn't want our guinea pig blowing up in our face. You just make certain eyes are on STAR Labs so that Mr. Luthor can run his experiment on Rudy Jones. Got it?"

He'd been set up! It was the only explanation! They needed a human guinea pig, and STAR Laps was just a corporate patsy. Of all the…

He needed to know what was done to him...of course that would take more brainpower than Rudy normally possessed. Then again after touching this lawyer he had a bunch of legal terms flowing through his brain that suddenly made sense so maybe if he touched a scientist…

There came a knock on the door, "Rudy," said Dr. Hamilton. "It's me. I need to talk to you."

Perfect timing, thought Rudy. "Just a minute," he said, taking time to drag the unconscious lawyer into the bathroom and close the door. He then let Dr. Hamilton in and closed the door behind him.

"Rudy I…" began the doctor in a worried expression before Rudy touched his forehead. The good doctor went down in seconds.

Rudy, of course, felt the same sensation as before. A life that wasn't his own flashed before his eyes, but this time he concentrated on what he wanted to know. Specifically what had been done to his body.

But for a moment, he reflected on his he was able to understand math and science for the first time in his life.

"Huh," said Rudy, rubbing his purple chin. "So this is what being a genius feels like...I don't like it. It comes with unpleasant college memories. Ugh!"

Then he focused on the procedure. Apparently the device he had been trapped in was designed to both extract and insert cells into a living thing. The idea was that you could extract healthy cells from a donor and insert them into a patient with diseased cells. The process would inevitably weaken the donor, but only temporarily, as their body would eventually replace the cells on its own.

In Rudy's case, however, things had gone wrong. His body now did this automatically, and in addition seemed to absorb a bit of electromagnetic energy as well, which probably accounted for the memories.

What Rudy had done was absorb enough cells and electromagnetic energy to imitate the abilities of the men he had just touched. The Dr's scientific mind, and the lawyers savvy of course. Rudy also realized that the lawyer had taken self defense and exercised regularly. Feeling his stomach it was no longer pudgy and soft, but hardened by effort Rudy never bothered with.

Rudy would never have figured out the truth on his own, but with the brains of smarter men swimming through him he understood the truth quite clearly. Lex Luthor had provided the materials Rudy injected into the formula he had tried to steal, and this had made the transformation possible. Unfortunately he had made this formula before Dr. Hamilton made changes to the device's makeup, increasing its potency. Rudy, in all likelihood, wasn't supposed to be able to do this, just have the potential so Luthor could dissect him.

This was why no one expected Rudy to be dangerous to others. Dr. Hamilton only found out recently when test results got back, and he only cleared Rudy for safety because of the lawyer fuming down his back. He covered everything legal, including toxins, poisons, radiation and the like, but since cell stealing was new, it wasn't covered by law.

It was a fact sheer accident that Rudy had gotten the jump on these people at all. No matter. He had the advantage now, and he had figured out what the end goal of all of this was. A person who can steal abilities by touch? Only one reason anyone would try that.

They wanted to engineer a way to take Superman's powers, and now Rudy had that ability. He grinned, getting the feeling that he really was about to go up in the world.

...

...

...

And We're Back! Sorry for making you guys wait so long, but as I thought I didn't have time to write on vacation. But I'm back now, with chapters for both stories I'm working on. Hope you enjoy and thanks for reading!

Jason.


	18. Chapter 18

Superman: The Ark of Krypton

Chapter 18

By

Jason Richard

Fortunately, after the Robot incident, Lexcorp had announced a press conference to address the state of their security. Lex Luthor wasn't one to keep his head down. He would address the problem of stolen technology head on.

Something Lois and Clark were counting on.

As the two of them approached Lexcorp, they both took a deep breath. The pair of them were each after big stories, and were determined to get them.

"Alright," said Lois, "You know the plan. You find evidence that Lexcorp is looking for that alien ship, and I'll see if I can connect him to any disreputable buyers."

"Sounds good," said Clark. "How do you plan to do it?"

"I've got a few contacts inside," said Lois. "And a bit of research into Lexcorp public legal documents to point me in the right direction. How about you?"

"If he's got anything from an alien ship it's probably in the most secure location in the building," said Clark. "I've done a little research of my own, so all I have to do is get in there, and I have a plan."

"Someone's ambitious," said Lois. "But you surprised me once. Let's see if you can do it again...while we're on the same side of course."

"Miss Lane," said Clark with a grin. "When I find what I'm looking for I'm certain I'll treasure the look on your face for years to come."

Lois found that quite amusing as they crossed the threshold of the building.

The first step was the conference itself. Before that Clark did a sweep of the building with his X-Ray vision, but had no luck. There were a walls his vision couldn't penetrate for some reason. Apparently someone had figured out he could see through walls after uisng heat vision to repair that building he had caught. Of course he knew someone had figured out that little detail when the robot used technology to blind him, but this confirmed it.

If even those abilities that weren't immediately obvious could be deduced, apparently. Clark realized he really could me more vulnerable than he realized.

But for now, he focused on the press conference.

The whole thing was mostly for show. Lex Luthor gave a speech about how upping security measures was the most important agenda for Lexcorp at the moment. Standard stuff really. Then he took a few questions. Most were along the lines of what kind of security measures he would be taking, but it wasn't until Clark managed to get called upon that a new form of question was put to the billionaire.

"Mr. Luthor," said Clark. "While I'm sure all of us are reassured by the new security measures you have outlines for us, I think the people of Metropolis might be a little more concerned about what is being protected."

Lex Luthor rubbed his chin and said, "Explain."

"I'm certain you have your reasons for keeping projects under wraps," said Clark. "But at the same time the recent attack has opened up the possibility that such weapons could be used on the streets, near people's homes. My question to you then is how would you reassure the citizens of this city that they are safe when they don't know what to expect?"

"Don't know what to expect?" said Luthor quizzically. "Do you suggest I tell people of my top secret projects?"

"Well…" said Clark, choosing his words delicately. "It might sound better coming from you than learning about it firsthand in the unlikely event your technology is stolen again...if you ask my opinion, and while I'm certain you are going to take every precaution after recent incidents, it's always difficult to reassure the public about things that are inherently uncertain. That's part of why we have the press, after all."

Luthor rubbing his chin thoughtfully and said, "What is your name?"

"Clark Kent," said Clark.

"Well," said Luthor. "You certainly make a valid point. It seems I have some more to show the press today. If you will give me a moment, we'll show you what we've got going on...backstage, as it were."

Clark grinned. He had hoped Luthor would take the bait. All he had to do was convince him that all of this was to Luthor's benefit, and he'd go for it. Lois Lane, meanwhile, came up behind him and softly in his ear.

"Well played," she chuckled admittedly. "But be careful. Lex Luthor has you in his sights now, and I get the feeling he knows you manipulated his decision on purpose."

"He probably does," said Clark, determined. "But if I wasn't prepared for that, I wouldn't have spoken up, but thanks for your concern."

"You're welcome," said Lois. "But don't expect me to make a habit of it. Now, let's focus on what we came to do."

"Understood," said Clark.


	19. Chapter 19

Superman: The Ark of Krypton

Chapter 19

By

Jason Richard

After walking out of STAR Labs with the codes he had gotten from Dr. Hamilton's memory, Rudy made a complicated plan to lure Superman to him. He figured holding up a convenience store or a bank or something could backfire if the cops got involved. He wouldn't have any power without Superman, after all, and really didn't want to get shot.

No, he figured the best way to draw out Superman was to play the victim. He just needed to engineer a situation where Superman would be the best person to save him, and when Superman got close, that would be it.

He went back to his apartment to prepare for his next move. It had to be something safe enough to ensure that he wouldn't get hurt, but dangerous enough to bring out Superman. Something...high up. Fortunately the apartment complex he lived in, though a cheap one, did have several floors.

All he needed to do was go up to the roof, use rope to climb down just a little, tie himself down, and then call for help. So long as he kept the rope hidden, Superman should show up

It suddenly occurred to him that there was a part of his mind telling him that this was a bad idea, that there were too many things that could go wrong. It also occurred to him, as he rooted through his apartment getting everything that he needed, that this part of his mind was getting quieter and quieter.

He took a moment in that filthy apartment to rub his chin to realized that the part of his mind that was opposed to his idea was what he took from Dr. Hamilton and the Lawyer. It also occurred to him that their memories seemed to be slipping from his mind as well. He also tested his stomach, and sure enough he no longer had the hard stomach of the lawyer who exercised and took some self defense.

He snapped his finger in frustration. He didn't get to keep whatever he took, Rudy realized. He'd have to capture Superman and keep him prisoner if he wanted continuous access to his power. Oh well he thought, he'd just wing it. How hard could it be?

He walked out of the apartment with a big grin on his face, blissfully unaware that he had forgotten the rope for his plan.

…

This sudden showcase Lexcorp had decided to throw out did get Lois and Clark inside the areas Clark couldn't see through, but that didn't mean he immediately found what he was looking for. There were a lot of devices around here, but nothing resembling an alien artifact.

All he knew was that it had to be a power crystal like the one that activated his pod before. He had already found the other device, which had to be the navigation system. So he was looking for some sort of glowing crystal amid the crowd of reporters, but so far nothing was popping out at him.

And what really killed him were a few rooms he still couldn't see into. As he as the rest of the press were led through that room, Lex Luthor talked about the various pieces of technology. It remained to be seen if those other rooms were part of the tour, or if they'd be passed off as storage closets and whatever else Luthor could come up with.

Lois found one of her contacts fairly quickly, and took him to a corner to have a little chat. Clark didn't listen to them, though, and just looked for the alien artifact.

Fortunately Lex Luthor did lead them into another room, so for the moment, Clark just waited until he could find the power source he was looking for.

…

Rudy, in a trench coat and hat to hide his purple skin, went to the roof, climbed down the drain pipe, and got ready to call out for Superman, when he remember the item he had forgotten. Upon the sudden realization that there really was nothing stopping him from falling to his death he closed his eyes and gripped the drain pipe with all his strength.

Unlike his plan, his cry of, "Help! Help!" was in earnest.

…

After three rooms Clark was almost ready to give up, but then he saw it. With his X-Ray vision he saw it. A crystal the size of a baseball rested on a pedestal on the other side of a big machine. Clark eagerly stepped around to see it, and then something happened that hadn't happened to him in a long time.

When he was little he had gotten the occasional scrape or bruise from an accident, but for the first time in a long time since he had first gotten his powers Clark Kent felt pain. Real, burning, overwhelming pain all over his body, and it started the moment he stepped within a few feet of the crystal. The distinctively green crystal.

He stepped away, panting, hoping no one in the crowd would ask him what was wrong. He took a moment to catch his breath, then stood up straight, and looked at the crystal.

Apparently he had, at least, found the source of radiation that could harm him, as his pod specified. That was a given, but was this also the power source the pod mentioned? Being harmful to him didn't mean that it wasn't. After all, humans used electricity for power, and that could easily hurt them.

Actually, it was quite likely. Looking at the crystal, he realized it was attached to some wires, and was powering a nearby computer on it's own. There was no question. This substance, whatever it was, could be used as a power source. It had to be what he was looking for.

Either way, he couldn't leave it there. Something that could kill him could be real bad if it fell into the wrong hands, and if Lois was right about his Luthor's black market connections…

He didn't like it, but he knew he had to steal this thing. Not now though. It didn't seem to hurt any of the human reporters that got near it, but Clark would have to come back with a plan to deal with it. He sighed, wondering how this could get possibly get any more complicated.

And that's when he saw Lois heading into a room marked, "Staff only."

Great, thought Clark. He had a feeling she was going to resent him for this, but he figured he should probably make certain she was okay. If she really did run into black market arms dealers, things could get nasty.

And it was right at that moment when he heard Rudy's cry for help. Normally Clark listed for that word in the city with as much attention as possible, but right now it was the last thing he wanted to hear.

"Not now," Clark mouthed, as he used his superhuman vision and hearing to get a lead on the person who needed so much help.

…

A crowd started to form around Rudy, who by this time started calling for Superman. If he needed to be saved anyway, he might as well draw in the person whose powers he wanted to steal. He continually cried, "Help! Help!"

Untill…

"Rudy?" said a voice above him.

Rudy looked up to see his landlord.

"Oh thanks goodness your here!" he said, all the while thinking, dogonit, what the heck are you doing here?

"How did you get yourself in this position?" asked the Landlord. "And are you okay? You look a little...purple…"

"Just a rash," said Rudy, telling the first lie that came to mind. "Doctor told me to get some sun, so I was talking a walk out on the roof when I slipped over," said Rudy...realizing just how clumsy that made him sound. "Please you have to get me down before I fall! Get Superman!"

"Like I've got the guy on speed dial," said the Landlord. "Besides, I know you're not supposed to look down in these situations, but there's a fire escape right below you."

Rudy didn't look down, but figured the Landlord was telling the truth. He did notice out the corner of his eye that the gathering crowd was using their phones to take pictures, or videos...probably to post him online. Not a one of them was making a call...like 911.

How the heck did he miss the fire escape? He was starting to miss being smart, a thought he realized was rather odd.

"I can't look down!" cried Rudy, panicking. "What if I slip off that too!"

Man that sounded pathetic, Rudy realized.

The landlord sighed, moved away for a second, then returned, throwing a rope ladder over the side of the roof, next to Rudy. Rudy looked at it, stunned.

"Strangely enough," said the Landlord. "You're not the first person to get themselves into a situation like this, so this time I was prepared."

I decided to do this on the one building that had this? Thought Rudy. What odd luck.

Rudy, desperate to keep his victim ploy going, said, "I can't move! I'm afraid of heights!"

"Then why, out of all the places in the city to get some sun, did you pick the roof in the first place?" said the Landar.

Rudy didn't respond for a second. It was a good question.

"Only Superman can save me!" said Rudy, who wasn't buying it himself. Man, thought Rudy, I sound like a complete and total moron. How did I get myself into this?

…

Back at Lexcorp, watched the scene play out with his super vision and hearing, Clark decided he could let this one slide for a moment. He doubted even this Rudy guy would be foolish enough to get himself killed, what with everything around him protecting his life. He'd have to try to get killed, from what Clark saw...though he'd keep an ear out for the guy just in case.

At the moment Clark wanted to make certain Lois was okay. She might resent his interfering, so he wouldn't move in unless she was in real danger.

Right now, he was just an observer, and he was observing two people who might need his help.


	20. Chapter 20

Superman: The Ark of Krypton

Chapter 20

By

Jason Richard

Luthor, naturally, had security outside his little meeting room. Two security guards stood outside, armed with guns and nightsticks. Lois was undaunted, however, and just needed to get into a room beside them. She had swiped a key card from a scientist earlier, so that was no problem. All she needed to do now was slip in when the guards weren't looking. After a few moments a janitor walked by, and the moment the guards shifted their gaze to look at the noise Lois was in the room.

In that room, which turned out to be someone's office, Lois found a vent on one side of the room. She could just barely hear sounds coming from the other side of the wall. Putting her phone to the vent, she listened very carefully to what they were saying, hoping that this was her big scoop.

Clark, during all of this, entered that corridor behind her, glad that he could finally use his X-Ray vision. Apparently he had passed whatever substance in the walls blocked it, and could see into the room Lois was spying on, a room filled with men in suits. That being said he couldn't hear what lois heard from that room, mostly likely due to the device in the middle of said room.

He knew because he couldn't hear the security guards breathing, or indeed any sound they made when they moved, which should have been obvious to him. Clark had a feeling that devices that muffled sound would become more popular with a man like Superman around.

But Clark wanted to know what was being said, so taking a cue from Lois he sped back to the group of scientists without being spotted and discreetly snatched a keycard. He sped to a room next to Lex's hiding place, unlocked it, rushed and put the key back, and then whoosed back into the room. From there, he was able to side up to the wall, within the device's range, and listened in, right along with Lois.

Lois hung onto every word she could catch through that vent. She didn't recognize all the voices she heard, but it was hard to miss Metropolis City's most wanted in the room. She recognized his voice from various intergang recruitment videos that popped up online from time to time before getting shut down. This, of course, was bruno Mannheim. Clark Kent also recognized the voice.

And Lex Luthor was there with them. It was, after all, Mr. Luthor whom Lois had followed there. Finally, she was about to get some hard evidence.

And the irony that rookie Clark Kent was partially responsible for it was not lost on her. It was his idea to come here and manipulate Luthor's press conference. It was the one bitter pill for her, but it would be worth it.

She and Clark listened intently.

"So Mr. Luthor," said Mannheim. "What's the big idea? You decide to show the world your secret stash right as we get here?"

"Believe me," said Luthor. "The timing of all this wasn't my intention. I was...backed into a corner."

"By that reporter?" said one of the other men. "You're joking."

"The press are the eyes and ears of the people," said Luthor. "Look bad to them and you look bad to their subscribers. He was practically threatening bad press with that move."

"Well," said Mannheim. "Should one of us...uh...deal with him?"

Lois knew what that meant. A gunshot to the head at some back alley in the dead of night.

"Well," said Luthor. "Not necessarily. Mob bosses such as yourself need to be feared. A businessman such as myself, on the other hand, is an entirely different matter. This Kent person did convey a concern that the public would inevitably feel after recent events, so in a way he did me a favor by pointing it out. So, no. We won't deal with him, as you put it. Not yet anyway."

"You're call boss," said Mannheim.

Lois, meanwhile, sighed, admitting that it would probably be the right thing to warn Clark about this when she saw him. Clark, meanwhile, imagined a bunch of hired goons trying to do him in and grinned.

"In the meantime," said Luthor. "I've got the press distracted with most of my experimental technology. We can now talk about the one can I can afford to keep secret."

"The ship," said Mannheim.

The ship? Thought Lois. Clark's ship?

"Indeed," said Luthor. "The single most important find of the twentieth century. I am very close to locating it. We recovered a sample meteorite that fell on the same day, a green crystal, and it has elements in it not found on the current periodic table. By this point no one doubts it is extraterrestrial in origin, and soon it will be ours for the taking. I'll give you the details now."

That made the men in the room much happier. Advanced alien technology? Yes please! Lois was even more ecstatic than before. Selling that to men like Mannheim? Forget the police, the army would be knocking on Luthor's doors soon once this recording went public. It all made the chance to see her army dad again a welcome prospect for once.

And with alien technology in the mix, her dad would be the first one there. He had a thing for testing new weapons of destruction.

Clark, in the other hand, knew for a certainty that he had to find the ship first. Now it wasn't just personal. Luthor had just raised the stakes considerably. He couldn't allow that kind of technology to fall into the hands of men like this.

The next moment Clark heard something. Looking he saw Mercy Graves strolling through the corridors, a stern look on her face. Did she know Clark and Lois were there?

…

Rudy Jones, meanwhile, was still stuck on the drain pipe, calling for Superman. He was really getting desperate. His Landlord was above him, yelling angrily, and the crowd below was laughing at him. The more Rudy screamed for Superman, the more the laughed. Rudy realized they had caught on to his scheme get Superman there.

Then he heard the fire truck approach.

"Oh," muttered Rudy. "Great."


	21. Chapter 21

Superman: The Ark of Krypton

Chapter 21

By

Jason Richard

Not that door, thought Clark. Not that door...not that door…

But of course Mercy Graves went right for the room Lois Lane was held up in. Clark was about to rush in when Lois heard footsteps right outside the door and pulled something from her purse. Clark wasn't in the habit of looking in women's purses with his X-Ray vision, so he wasn't prepared for the object the Lois pulled out.

As Lois pulled it out, however, her mind immediately flashed briefly to a recent conversation she had with her father.

…

In the hospital, Lois Lane lay back on her bed, channel surfing the television in the corner. Nothing was on, and she was getting bored, but that was preferable to having a conversation with the person who walked through the door.

At the sight of her father, Sam Lane, Lois rolled her eyes, turned off the television, and prepared herself for the inevitable lecture.

"Hey dad," said Lois. "How's it going?"

Same Lane was a stern looking man with thick, perpetually crossed eyebrows and thick grey hair. He was dressed mis highly decorated military uniform, alongside the biggest frown Lois had ever seen on him. She also couldn't help but notice the folder

"I hear you got yourself shot," said her father, getting straight to the point as always. His directness made Lois flinch and want to rub the injury in her ribs she had hidden under the covers.

"Well," said Lois. "I was ruining Chema Corp's illegal weapons trafficking with a well written cover story. I can understand if the CEO was a little ticked off."

Angrily her father said, "Don't you take that tone with…" he caught himself, and sighed, saying in a much gentler voice. "I'm not here to get into an argument. I'n not even here to criticize. I'm here to tell you that I'm impressed. You did a good thing."

"Wow," said Lois. "I'm almost surprised...of course it would surprise me even more if that wasn't an enlistment form in that folder you're carrying."

She could see the veins bulging in his forehead as he struggled to stay calm.

"It was only going to be a suggestion," said Sam Lane.

"That's something I guess," said Lois, shaking her head. 'Seriously dad? You can't even wait until I'm out of the hospital to make your suggestion? And after years of telling you I wasn't interested, you still insist on making your..." she made air quotes. "Suggestion?"

He gave an exasperated sigh and said, "Maybe you're right."

"Wow," said Lois. "You almost admitted you were wrong. I'm almost proud of you."

"What do you want from me?" he said.

"I'd like you to act like a parent for once," said Lois. "Not the drill sergeant you were when my sister and I were kids, and the army recruiter you've been since we graduated. A parent...dad." she added the last word with much disdain.

Despite the vein throbbing in his forehead, he took a deep breath and seemed genuinely upset by her attitude.

"Look, Lois," said her father. "I know you think everything I do is meant to control you, but I only do what I think is best for you. I hope you realize that."

"I'm sure that's how you see it, at least," Lois admitted, looking away.

"Bottom Line," he continued, "I do care about you. Now, I'm going to ask you another question, but please don't see this line of inquiry as another criticism. If you're going to continue in dangerous work, then I want to make certain you're protecting yourself. Now, I did teach you to shoot. Did you have your gun with you when that criminal was shooting at you?"

Lois had a feeling he'd bring this up. The gun. The sixteen year old birthday present she never wanted. She had half a mind to tell him that she left it just to spite him.

But this was one of the first times he expressed any genuine feelings, so she bit her tongue and instead told him, "Yes, I brought it with me. I just...I couldn't go through with it. I couldn't pull the trigger."

What she didn't tell him was that, at the moment in question, part of the reason she couldn't do it was because she could hear his voice in her head, shouting instructions at her at the top of his lungs, telling her it was shoot or be shot, kill or be killed. Not necessarily untrue, but his barking voice in her head made it hard to think.

He shook his head, "All that attitude you give people, and you couldn't even do that, after all I taught you. I don't know whether to laugh or cry."

She glared at him.

"Okay that was uncalled for," said Her father. "So you couldn't kill someone who wanted to kill you. I really don't understand how you resist that survival instinct."

"And I don't understand how you can kill so easily," said Lois. "I'm not going to pretend I don't know what it's like to be a soldier. I grew up on too many army bases…" and got closer to firefights than a child should have, Lois thought bitterly. "I know there are dangerous people out there, and soldiers have to kill or be killed. I get that. I just don't know how you do it."

"Hmm," said her father. "It's ironic. It's the one thing everyone knows we have to do, and the one thing no one likes to talk about...least of all soldiers...and I don't get the stigma, but I seem to be the minority."

He seemed frustrated by that fact, and Lois didn't know what to make of it.

"Alright Lois, look," he said. "I know you and I don't see eye to eye on a lot of things, but I know you aren't going to let something like getting shot keep you from taking down more corruption. With that in mind I do want to keep you safe, so if you can't take lethal action against people, I can give you an alternative."

He pulled out of his pocket what looked like an ordinary gun and held it up for her to see.

"This," said her father. "Was originally developed for the military, but recently received legal approval for sale to the public. It won't be for sale for a month or two, but I have...connections, and got you one early."

He showed it up for her to see, and she seemed unimpressed.

"It may look like an ordinary pistol," he said. "But the shots it fires only penetrate a single layer of skin for non life threatening damage, incapacitating the target with a single electric shock from a micro battery. Each projectile also has sensors to determine the target's mass, delivering only the voltage necessary to render the victim unconscious."

"It's a taser," said Lois, not entirely impressed.

"In essence," he admitted. "But it has more than one round and much better range. Hold's up pretty well in a firefight actually. The only caveat is that it body armor renders it useless. A bullet will at least stun someone wearing that."

"I could just aim for the head," said Lois, taking the weapon from him and examining it. "This...could be useful." she admitted.

"Hope so," said her father. "Like I said, I really do want to keep you safe. That's why I push you so much Lois. The best way to make certain someone is safe is to build them up and make certain they're strong as far as I'm concerned. That's all I want for you."

Lois didn't answer. She just looked at the weapon in her hand thoughtfully, deciding whether or not to accept it.

...

Mercy Graves opened the door to find herself face to face with Lois Lane, aiming some sort of gun in her face. She didn't recognize the type, but it didn't matter. Mercy hadn't gotten to her own gun in time, giving Lois the advantage.

"Put your gun on the ground and tell the men behind you to do the same," said Lois, keeping Mercy between Lois and the armed guards outside. Fortunately with Mercy in the doorway, none of them had a clear shot at Lois.

Mercy ordered her men to comply, and then said, as she slowly put her gun on the floor, "You've just made a huge mistake."

Clark, in the meantime, watched from the room he was hiding in, realizing with his X-Ray vision that this was no ordinary gun. Comparing it to the weapons the Lexcorp goons were using it used a projectile system other than gunpowder, and the projectiles themselves were a bit more sophisticated than a lump of metal.

What kind of weapon was that?

"Worse than going to work for Lex Luthor?" said Lois, smirking.

"Worse than eavesdropping on him," said Mercy, also smirking.

"I thought that was the alleged mistake," said Lois.

"One of them," said Mercy. "But I was talking about pointing a gun in my face. That really is a huge mistake."

The smirked at each other for a few more moments, until lois said, "Back up."

Mercy backed up and Lois stepped out. The guards, hands in the air, backed up as well.

"Now," said Lois, stepping aside. "All of you, get inside."

Reluctantly the grew stepped inside the room. Mercy, shaking her head, took one look at Lois and said, "I won't forget this."

"Hope not," said Lois, before shutting the door and shooting it with her taser weapon. The small bolt shorted out the electronic lock, disabling it. Lois, not wasting any time, high tailed it outta there. By the time Mercy tried the lock, figured out it was broken, shot it off with a spare gun she kept in her sleeve, and stepped back into the hallway, Lois was gone.

"Oh Lovely," said Mercy sarcastically, rolling her eyes and ordering her men to pursue.

Clark, meanwhile, watched the whole exchange and then sped out when Lois fled. He quickly put back the key card he had stolen back, quickly confusing the scientist who found it in a pocket he had already looked for it in, and made it out of the building, keeping an eye on Lois as she fled as well. The Lexcorp Goons, however, were always one step behind.

He was actually rather impressed that his presence hadn't been required after all. It seemed Lois could handle herself in dangerous situations after all. Once he was certain she would be safe, he turned his attention to the Rudy figure who had been calling his name. Clark realized that maybe this Rudy character he had been watching might need saving after all. Clark couldn't believe it, but the guy in the trench coat was still hanging out on that drain pipe. Better see what he wants with me, thought clark...who at that moment took a closer look at realized the guy was kind of purple. Was he in a fight or something?

Lois, meanwhile, found the scientists she had stolen a key card from. The man was searching his pockets desperately for his access card when Lois walked up and said, "Here, I found this on the floor," and handed him the card.

"Why thank you," said the older man. "So nice to see an honest person about."

Lois smirked as she walked off, making it out of the building before the hired guns could find her. All in all, she felt really good about what she had managed to record on her phone. Quickly she turned it off so Lexcorp couldn't hack it, and immediately made her way to the Daily Planet.


	22. Chapter 22

Superman: The Ark of Krypton

Chapter 22

By

Jason Richard

Rudy Jones was losing his mind. Still clinging to that drain pipe for dear life, he called Superman for the last time. The crowd was bigger than ever, and people were now making jokes of the hysterical man high on the side of that building. The landlord of that apartment building left the emergency rope ladder in place, and it wasn't like the fire escape ledge beneath him had moved. By this point Rudy figured Superman wasn't coming.

And then…

"Alright," said Superman, flying above him. "Alright. I'm here, now what in the world is so important to make such a scene."

Rudy breathed a sigh of relief. Finally.

"Took you long enough," said Rudy.

"I had other business," said Superman, shaking his head. "And it was a bit more important than some random guy in a trench coat looking for attention."

"Look," said Rudy. "I really do need help."

By this point the crowd was very quiet, eagerly awaiting the outcome of this bizarre scene. Superman regarded the man on the drain pipe curiously.

"Are you alright?" he asked. "You're looking a little...purple…"

"Just a rash," said Rudy reflexively.

As Superman got closer and closer, Rudy got more and more eager to take Superman's power. He'd soon find out if the mutation worked as advertised. Come on, Rudy thought. Just a little closer…

"Are you sure you're okay?" asked Superman, pausing. "Now that I can see you up close you look really purple...and you're heart rate is really fast...are you certain you're not sick?"

Even someone as slow as Rudy couldn't help but take advantage of an opportunity like that. "Uh...yeah...I thought it was just a rash but...now that you mention it I do feel a little woozy. And now that you mention it my heart is pounding...ugh! I think I need a doctor!"

"I thought you already saw one?" said the landlord above him.

If Rudy had any speck of nerve to look up, his glare would have made the guy back away.

"Alright," said Superman, regretting his decision to let this go for a while. "Come on, I'll get you to the hospital."

He held out his hand, which Rudy reach for gleefully. He had to stifle a laugh at how well this working out. Just a few more inches…

Superman stopped. If Rudy was getting what he wanted, his heart rate should slow a bit as he was calming down, not beat faster the closer his hand got to Superman's. Something was wrong.

But it was too late. Rudy snatched at Superman's hand.

The electric shock that passed between them was unlike anything Rudy had ever felt. As the energy from Superman passed into Rudy, creating a flash of light, Rudy felt what it was like to be Superman. The confusion and curiosity about where he came from, the family and friends Rudy had never know, the dedication and hard work to his career that Rudy himself had never known.

But most importantly he felt the power. The glorious, overwhelming power, and that made everything else fade in the background as far as Rudy was concerned.

He grinned with glee. Superman, meanwhile, was in shock. He felt like a hose was attached to him and was sucking the water out of his body. He tried to pull away, but the hand that held him in place was surprisingly strong.

But what really worried him was the sensation of losing his flight, as he started to fall to the ground. Rudy took advantage and jumped from the railing, tackling him. They slowly fell, and at the last moment Superman kicked the purple assailant off of him.

They landed in the alley, several feet away from each other. Rudy was ecstatic, feeling the strength flowing through him. Superman was confused, feeling his own strength diminished.

The crowd, meanwhile, held it's collective breath. Could this guy really take on Superman?

"What did you do to me?" Superman demanded.

"Absorbed your power," said Rudy, grinning maliciously. "It was delicious...I think I'll take seconds."

"Hey freeze!" cried a nearby policeman, pointing his gun at Rudy.

"Stay back!" cried Superman, but it was too late. Rudy ran at high speed towards the cop, touched his forehead, and the cop went down instantly.

Rudy caught the cop's gun, pointed, shot a far away bird and bullseyed it.

"Huh," said Rudy. "So that's what having good aim is like. Neat. Oh well." he threw the gun over his shoulder and said, "Now, about those seconds."

He ran at Superman who grabbed a nearby trashcan and threw it with all his might. Rudy caught it and was thrown back a few feet, his feet scraping across the pavement, but he just threw it right back. Superman moved out of the way, then ran as fast as he could. Unfortunately due to his diminished power he only ran about as fast as a race car. Fast, but not overly impressive.

Furthermore, rudy was right on his tail, running just as fast.

"Great," thought Superman sarcastically. "How do I deal with this?"

 **…**

Lois Lane headed straight towards the Daily Planet,hoping to hail a taxi so she could get there and get her information out as quickly as possible. But then she passed by a set of TV in an electronics store. There she saw the scene with Superman playing out. She saw everything. Him approaching the man on the drain pipe, the man grabbing him, and the stranger sucking the power right out of Superman. She also saw him drain the power out of that policeman and use his gun.

"That can't be good," thought Lois.

As much as she wanted to get the dirt she had collected on Lex Luthor into safe hands, she felt she should help, because she had an idea about how to deal with a guy like this purple freak. After all, if he could absorb any ability, he might absorb other, less desirable things as well. It was a crazy idea, but this man was already giving Superman trouble.

She had to try, and while she did end up hailing a taxi, she had a different destination in mind.


	23. Chapter 23

Superman: The Ark of Krypton

Chapter 23

By

Jason Richard

Superman ran at high speed from the purple villain behind him. He wished he could just fly out of reach come up with a plan, but the energy that powered that only gave him enough of a push for the speed he was using. He was still going to come up with a plan of course, but that wasn't easy to think with the purple maniac right on his tail.

If he stayed and fought he risked getting the rest of his power stolen. If he kept running even he would tire out, and there was no telling who would tire out first.

Suddenly he didn't have time to come up with a plan. Rudy stopped and grabbed a car with his arms, his fingers digging into the metal. Heaving, he threw the vehicle at a pair of civilians walking down the street.

"Oh come on!" cried Superman as he rushed over and caught the car in his armsbefore flattened the couple, the force of it nearly knocking him over as he planted his feet firmly. Rudy ran over but Superman swung the car over his head and smashed Rudy with the trunk, sending him flying several feet away.

He put down the car, realizing he'd have to deal with this man sooner or later. If he could get him to a place where no one would get hurt.

He put down the car, wincing when he realized he dented it, then he wrapped his cape around his arm to avoid skin contact with the power draining man. He then ran at the assailant with full speed, hoping to turn the tables. Rudy stood up in a daze, then his eyes widened in surprise as Superman ran up and punched him in the face with his cape covered fist.

Rudy, of course, went flying. Before he landed Superman punched him in the gut and sent him flying a few more yards. They repeated this process for a few more blows, Rudy getting sent clear across Metropolis, until he was knocked clean through the window of an abandoned warehouse, smashing the glass and rolling to the floor.

He got up, still dazed despite the impact not hurting much, and then Superman ran inside, a peeved look in his face.

"Alright," said Superman. "What's the deal. What do you want my powers for?"

"Why wouldn't I want your powers?" said Rudy, his purple skin distorting as he grinned. "Goodbye Rudy Jones the loser, hello...Hmm…" he rubbed his chin. "What should I call myself now?"

"So that's it?" said Superman. "You're taking my powers because it's fun? Because it's a thrill ride?"

"Hey," said Rudy, shrugging. "I'm a simple man with simple tastes."

"A dangerous man, from what you just tried to do to those people," said Superman. "I can't allow you to take my power."

"Haven't you noticed?" said Rudy, grinning. "I already have."

And he rushed forward. Superman, meanwhile, wrapped his fist in his cape and rushed forward to meet him.

…

Lois, on her way to help Superman deal with a power absorbing mutant, had her Taxi stop for a moment at a pet store, with puppies in the window and everything. While Lois did have a plan, she did realize how odd it was for her to stop at this place, given what she was trying to do. It also occurred to her that her actual plan was a little...silly...but she still felt it was worth a shot.

She barged in, looked around at all the animals, and zeroed in on the one she needed. A small, spiny lizard. The sign on it's cage read, "Bearded Dragon," but any lizard would do really. She snatched the cage up and left.

"Hey!" cried the store clerk. ""You can't…"

"Sorry," she yelled as she left. "Need to borrow this. I'm going to help Superman."

The clerk gave her a confused look. "With a lizard?" he asked, bewildered.

"Yes," said Lois, rolling her eyes as she realized how silly it sounded. "With a lizard."

She left, and the Clerk just watched her go, completely unable to understand what was going on.

…

Superman darted and zig zagged around the room, trying to keep an equally fast Rudy Jones from getting his hands on him. He threw a punch with his cape wrapped fist, sending Rudy backwards with his feet scraping the floor, but Rudy was more prepared for the punch that time and planted his feet, then he pursuing his prey again in moments.

Superman circled Rudy at high speed and shot his heat vision, but Rudy countered with heat vision of his own. Superman ran in a circle around him and Rudy's eyes followed, their heat visions clashing in a flash of sparks.

When the heat vision ended Rudy took a deep breath and threw some ice breath at Superman, freezing his feet on the ground. Caught off guard, he was immobilized for a second, Giving Rudy time to get close.

Superman caught rudy's wrists right on the sleeves of his trench coat, pushing to keep the hands from touching his face. The impact of Rudy coming at high speed broke Superman free of the ice at his feet. Rudy pushed forward as Superman kept his hands at bay, Superman's feet scraping the floor as he fought to keep the villain back.

Then Superman planted his feet, leaving cracks in the floor as he threw his hands backward, swinging Rudy over his head. He then grabbed one of rudy's wrists with two of his own, avoiding contact with the bare hand, and swung rudy in a circle a couple of times then threw away, smashing him against the concrete wall of the warehouse.

Rudy tumbled to the ground, but got up quickly. He was just about to run at Superman again, but someone next to him spoke up.

Someone, Superman noticed, who was Lane Lane. What on earth was she doing here?

"Hey," she said to Rudy. "Catch!"

And she did the last thing anyone expected her to. She threw a lizard at Rudy Jones.

As surprised as he was, he caught the animal in his hand. It went limp as Rudy absorbed it's cells and energy. There was a moment of silence at both Rudy and Superman gave Lois very confused looks. She gave Rudy a look that was somehow half cautious and half smug. Then Rudy just looked at the unconscious Lizard in his hand, trying to figure out what had just happened.

"Apart from a newly found, and very gross desire to eat bugs," said Rudy. "What was that supposed…"

And then Lois, who had walked up to him, took out a bottle of freezing cold water and threw it in Rudy's face. Superman couldn't believe his eyes. Was she serious?

Rudy, at first, just looked annoyed. "Okay," he said. "Playtimes over you…"

And then something even stranger happened. Rudy started to feel very tired all of a sudden, like all the energy had been sucked out of him. What the heck was going on?

"Confused?" said Lois. "Don't be. I may be no scientist, but it didn't take one to figure out that you absorb abilities from people you touch. I figured that would include being cold blooded."

As Lois thought, Rudy was confused, but he had forgotten about the lizard in his hand. Superman, on the other hand, could see it clear as day, and realized what she was talking about. Lizards were cold blooded, which meant they were sluggish in the cold. Lois had effectively slowed him down.

Not one to let an opportunity like this pass him by, Superman aimed a deep frost breath right at Rudy and let the cold air wash over his foe. Rudy, already cold from the splash of water, went to his knees, barely able to keep himself upright even that much.

Superman then ran to the back of the warehouse, grabbed a chain he had seen lying around before, and ran back, wrapping it around Rudy at high speed, pinning his arms and legs in place. Rudy, sluggish from his now cold blooded nature, didn't have the energy to break free as he fell face first to the floor.

Admiring his handiwork, Superman then turned to Lois, took a deep breath, and said, "It seems I owe you one Miss Lane."

He offered her his hand.

"No," she said, shaking her head. "You saved me from being crushed inside a falling building, so we're even."

And they shook hands.


	24. Chapter 24

Superman: The Ark of Krypton

Chapter 24

By

Jason Richard

"So what are you going to do about him?" asked Lois, indicating the groggy purple man tied up in chains next to them.

"Not sure," said Superman, blowing a bit of frost breath over him to keep the cold blooded villain sedated. "I suppose I could turn him into the authorities, but they might not be equipped to deal with him. I don't relish just locking him in a freezer. Who knows what that would do to him...or if his power transfer is even permanent."

Rudy, meanwhile, was trying to think of a way out, but he just felt so sleepy, and Superman kept making it worse by throwing more frost breath at him. Of all the things to be beaten by. A lizard!

"I hope the authorities might consent to have Star Labs look at him," said Superman. "They might be able to devise a way to contain him…"

"And maybe get the rest of your powers back?" said Lois. "You might risk people more people trying to take them for yourselves."

"Good point," said Superman, rubbing his chin.

"A very good point," said Mercy Graves.

Neither Superman nor Lois had noticed Lex Luthor's assistant walk in with a gun raised and two bodyguards beside her. Clark grit his teeth in frustration. Even his hearing had been affected by Rudy Jones. He immediately put himself between Mercy and Lois, shielding her.

"Oh," said Mercy, not impressed. "Still bulletproof are we? Guess I should start shaking in my boots, huh?" Her smirk told Superman that she didn't really believe it. Well, if Lois already knew that this Rudy guy took powers, if made sense that she would to, Superman thought.

As it was, Superman wasn't certain if he was bulletproof now, or if Mercy really could kill him. Of course he figured he was still fast enough to escape the bullets, but Lois wasn't, so he wasn't quite willing to move from that spot just yet.

He did, however, want to keep the hired guns from circling around him, so he let a little bit of heat flow to his eyes, letting them glow red and menacing. The hired goons froze, uncertain of what to do.

"Well that gives new meaning to the term 'evil eye,'" said Mercy, smirking. "But don't get yourself so worked up. If Miss Lane would just hand over what she's carrying, we can all walk out of here without anyone getting hurt."

Lois whispered to Superman, "I got a recording of Luthor talking with wanted gang bosses. I can't let her have it."

"Agreed," said Superman. Then he spoke more loudly. "Stand down. You're no match for me."

Mercy, however, saw Lois's shadow. She was clutching her purse a bit more tightly now. Apparently that was where Lois's recording was kept. Good to know. She had also watched footage online from the live news before coming here. Superman was still fast, but at this distance the moment he closed the gap between him and one of the three gunman in front of him the other two would have more than enough time to shoot Lois down.

Whether he was still bulletproof after having his power drained or not, the situation was still in her favor.

"If you get a clear shot at Lois aim for the purse," she whispered to her men.

Then she took careful aim and fired right at Superman's chest.

His suit, which normally felt as durable as him when he wore it, was suddenly punctured right on the S, as was a few layers of his skin. The bullet didn't get very deep, and stuck out just a little, but it had still penetrated, letting a little blood flow as Superman staggered back from the pain and shock.

"Superman!" cried Lois.

"Hit him with everything you've got!" cried Mercy!

Superman staggered as a couple more gunshots hit his chest. The bullets didn't penetrate very deep, but Superman still felt every one of them as he staggered back.

Lois, behind him, acted quickly, pulling out her advanced taser and shooting the two goons over Superman's shoulders, letting the electrodes bury into their suits and skin to electrocute them into unconsciousness. Mercy herself was directly in front of Superman, so Lois didn't have a clear shot at her, and even had to duck when Mercy aimed a higher shot at Lois's hand.

Taking advantage of the lull in getting shot, Superman focused his heat vision on Mercy's gun, making it too hot for her to hold. The moment she dropped it Superman shouted, "Go! Go!"

They fled the scene, Superman still keeping himself between Mercy and Lois. A good call, as Mercy carried a backup revolver in her uniform. She quickly pulled it out and aimed. Despite getting shot multiple times and taking some damage Superman didn't seem to be too slowed down, and she couldn't get a good shot at Lois.

Her solution, then, was to shoot at the purse swinging on Lois's arm. She got off a couple of shots as it swung into view, hitting the purse each time.

When they left the building Superman grabbed a nearby crate, heaved with his drained but still formidable strenge, and placed it in front of the door, then he left with Lois, getting the heck out of there.

Mercy, meanwhile, knew that he'd probably do something like this, and didn't pursue. Looking down at Rudy Jones she knew she had an easier to contain asset right here, one that was pretty much at her mercy. All she had to do was get him back to the Limo parked nearby. As a Lexcorp Limo, it had plenty of ice on hand. Sure, it was meant for wine, but it should keep this cold blooded, purple power stealing man from moving, for now.


	25. Chapter 25

Superman: The Ark of Krypton

Chapter 25

By Jason Richard

Superman and Lois kept running until they were certain they were far enough away, hiding in a back alley...somewhere in Metropolis. With the threat of a gun on their heels they hadn't payed much attention to where they were going. They both had to stop and take a breath, but despite the bullets sticking out of his chest Superman didn't' seem any more tired than Lois was.

"Are you okay?" asked Superman, taking deep breaths.

"Am I okay?!" Lois demanded, still panting. "You just got shot I don't know how many number of times. I should be asking you that!"

Superman laughed and said, "I guess so, but I'm fine. They didn't get very deep...and I think I'm healing already."

It was true. A few of the bullets had already fallen out, leaving bare skin and a hole in the suit. Lois shook her head.

"Guess you weren't in much danger after all," said Lois. "Lucky you." she paused for a moment then asked, "Tell me, did you know you could still take the bullets as much as you did after your powers were drained?"

In other words, she was asking him if he knew he'd survive when he put himself in front of her.

Superman shrugged and said, "I had no idea."

She looked at him suspiciously, like she thought he was lying, then shook her head.

"When you saved everyone in that building," said Lois. "Including me...I was blown away by what I had seen. A single person with that much power. It was so...unreal. And the more I see of you, the more I wonder if you actually are real."

"There've been times when I wondered that myself," said Superman. "Wondered if all this power I have and the stuff I've done are all just figments of my imagination, but I've gotten used to being this way."

"Is see," said Lois. "So who are you? Where are you from? How did you get your powers?"

Superman crossed his arms. He figured she'd start asking this, but that didn't prepare him. As he thought about his answer, he distracted himself by trying to fly again. He still couldn't lift himself. Not a good sign.

Finally, he said, "Will what I say be in the news tomorrow?"

She smirked, "If it's any good."

Superman chuckled and said, "I'm afraid not. The only only answer I have right now is...I'm not sure."

"You're not sure?" said Lois. "What? Did you just wake up one morning and find you these powers? Kind of a dull backstory."

Superman laughed again and said, "Maybe. It is a little more complicated than that, but I did find myself with powers one day, and no explicable reason why I should have them. I'm still looking into where the powers came from."

"And when you find out?" said Lois.

"Well," replied Superman. "I do intend to continuing helping people with my abilities. As such I do want people to trust me, so when I do figure out the whole story behind my powers, you'll be the first to know, and then you can tell the world."

"Now there's a story to look forward to," said Lois, grinning. "So...okay, you're going around saving people. With your powers you'd have to be some kind of lazy not to. On the other hand you'd have to be some kind of megalomaniac to take over the world upon getting these powers. But then...you don't seem to be acting like a normal everyday guy who suddenly got powers either."

"I don't follow," said Superman, confused.

"Well why aren't you playing it up more?" she said. "Giving interviews, going on talk shows, or hanging out with celebrities? Most of us are lucky to have fifteen minutes of fame total. If you do get your powers back you could be set for life in the public eye, but every time to save people you disappear before the applause really starts."

"I don't need praise," said Superman. "I know it's going to sound like a corny cliche, but a good deed is it's own reward."

"Okay," said Lois. "Now I'm certain you're not real. No one is actually that nice. The nicest guy I know only helped me because he could help himself."

It took Superman a moment to realize she was talking about him, AKA Clark Kent. He gave her a lead on Lex Luthor's underworld dealings, and she helped him into Lexcorp. She kind of had a point that he had an ulterior motive for pointing her in that direction.

"Besides," continued Lois "I'll bet you anything the guy who first said that corny cliche just wanted people to praise him for being selfless." Then she added sarcastically, " A good deed is it's own reward. Suuuuuure."

Superman didn't have a response, but just laughed.

"Okay Mr. Boy Scout," said Lois. "I'll play along with your little nice guy routine for now, so long as you agree to give me that exclusive you promised. Once you know where your powers come from…"

"You'll be the first to know," said Superman. "I owe you that much."

"Excellent," said Lois, beaming. "In the meantime, at least I have…"

She was about to look in her purse and dish out her phone, when she noticed the bullet holes for the first time.

"No," she said, pulling out her phone, only to see a bullet sticking through the broken screen. "No...no...NO! Seriously?! Ugh! I was so close!"

She threw the phone away in frustration.

"Problem?" asked Superman.

"I had a recording of Lex Luthor talking with mob bosses," said Lois clenching her hands like she was ready to strangle someone. "I had it! I knew I should have copied it...but I was so worried Luthor would have my phone hacked I…"

she couldn't finish, but just growled in frustration.

"Are you going to be okay?" asked Superman.

"I'll be fine," said Lois, taking a deep breath. "I just have to keep trying, that's all. How about you? You're wounds seem to be healing. Do you...I don't know, feel your powers coming back?"

Superman checked the bullets in his chest, and they'd pretty much fallen out by now. A few spots still had raw skin, but he still seemed to be healing. The next test, however, confirmed that his powers were coming back. He managed to float a little. Not enough to fly completely, but enough to answer his question.

"His power stealing is temporary," said Superman gladly. "Good. When I'm at full power I'll try to catch that Rudy Jones character...without touching him of course. In the meantime, do you need an escort home? Or to the police station? Luthor's goons might still be after you."

"No," said Lois. "To the Daily Planet will be fine. I'll have to run a generic story about the technology at Lexcorp, but once Luthor sees it he'll know I've got nothing and will back off."

"Fair enough," said Superman. "Shall we go?" and he stepped out of her way so she could take the lead. She nodded politely and walked on. From there, they made their way to the Daily Planet.


	26. Chapter 26

Superman: The Ark of Krypton

Chapter 26

By

Jason Richard

Not wanting to cause a scene with people in the city Superman helped Lois find a cab, then flew nearby as it went to the Daily Planet, extremely glad that his powers were coming back. Hopefully that would make dealing with this Rudy Jones character a lot easier.

As excited as he was to be flying again, he was still careful to stayed above in the clouds, keeping out of sight. It would only take him moments to fly down again if he saw trouble with his X-Ray vision or heard it with his super hearing.

As he flew, Superman casually noted that the suit his pod gave him seemed to be repairing itself, the bullet holes closing. It was as if this suit could mimic his abilities, being as durable as he was or healing like he could. That was convenient, he thought, then kind of wished it was self cleaning as well. He'd been afraid to put this piece of alien technology through the washing machine when he got dust on it during his fight with a giant robot.

Finally the taxi arrived at the Daily Planet without any trouble and Superman saw Lois go in. Superman then quickly flew down, changed into Clark Kent in the blink of an eye, and also went inside.

Now that Lois was probably safe, he turned his thoughts to the two problems he still faced. What to do about that green crystal he needed from Lexcorp, and what to do about Rudy Jones.

…

Lex Luthor observed the purple skinned man in front of him. Strapped to a gurney, unconscious in one of Lexcorps more...private labs, Rudy Jones had to be the most fascinating thing Luthor had seen all day.

"And you're certain?" Said Luthor. "He was able to absorb Superman's power?"

"I saw the whole thing myself," said Mercy, arms behind her back. "I'd never seen a fight like it. Then again, I doubt we can really weaponize this when all you need to stop it is a lizard."

Luthor just laughed, "No no Mercy. The prototypes always have bugs. No one gets anything right on the first try. Not even me. The point of this is not the mutation you see here, but to prove that Superman's power _can_ be stolen. We get more information from this Man's DNA, and we might even be able to make the change theft of power permanent. Of course, I have to know…"

"No," said Mercy, pulling out her clipboard and looking at a file. "No one is looking for Rudy. Quite a character this one. He's been thrown out of house by just about every member of his family and anyone who's tried to take him in. From what I dug up he usually gives some sob story about nowhere to live, but his lazy habits eventually catch up with him. He even tried to apply for food stamps, but quit that because, and this is a quote from his landlord, 'the paperwork was too much work.'"

Luthor laughed, "He doesn't even sound real," said Luthor. "Seems like getting a job would be more work."

"Says the man who hires someone to do his own paperwork for him," said Mercy, smirking. "Namely me."

"Touche Mercy," said Luthor, chuckling. "Touche. Now, let's keep a tight eye on him. It's only luck he did what we wanted and went after Superman after escaping. Don't want him causing any more trouble."

"I don't think that will be any trouble," said Mercy, walking over to Jones. "First, he's obviously lost Superman's powers already. His muscles have gone from rock solid to nice and squishy. Second, I'm pretty sure his escape was little more than a fluke. Look at this."

She showed him a spot on Rudy's skin that was an even darker purple than the rest of him.

"That's a gunshot," said Mercy. "When I first put him in the limo I figured I see just how much power he was able to steal, and the bullet bounced right off of him. Yet when I shot Superman it actually penetrated his skin. Rudy Jones actually had more power than Superman for a brief moment, and still couldn't catch him. I saw. Superman managed to keep him just out of arm's reach. Who knows? He might not have needed Lois Lane's intervention."

"Sure he was grateful enough for it all the same," said Luthor, shaking his head. "But still. You have that much power and can't even make use of it? Surely he got enough of Superman's memories to use the power effectively. He didn't think to take advantage of that? He seriously thought his own brain would be enough? Mannheim was right. What a pathetic little man."

He then turned to leave, discussing other things with Mercy. Rudy, however, had not been as unconscious as he seemed. He had woken up midway through the conversation, at the word prototype he had pretended to still be unconscious. So he was set up huh? Whatever.

But when he heard that he had gotten most of Superman's power and had still failed, that was a heavy blow against his ego. Had he really been outmatched os easily? He lay back and stared at the ceiling in shock. Now what was he going to do?


	27. Chapter 27

Superman: The Ark of Krypton

Chapter 27

By

Jason Richard

That evening, as the sun finished setting in the distance, Clark, in a t shirt and jeans, stood atop a building and scanned Lexcorp tower with his x-ray vision. He could see the green crystal locked away in one of the storage vaults, just waiting for him. He was working on a plan to get a hold of it so he could finally get his pod operational, and keep the dangerous object away from Lex Luthor.

In the end he decided he wouldn't just steal it outright. After all, if he did that it would just make Luthor realize the crystal's true value. How found it ironic that he had all this power, that it would be so easy to just take it, but it could still blow up in his face if he did.

He didn't get a good look at it back at the press conference, but he did get a good look at it now with his enhanced sigh. The most interesting thing he could see were the radiology readings that accompanied the display. It occurred to Clark that Lexcorp staff saw fit to put all that radiation in a room full of people. It didn't seem to affect anyone but Clark, at least immediately, but it still affected him. Clark was no scientist, but that still seemed like it would have to be an awful lot of radiation..

It was only a hunch really, but maybe, just maybe, Lexcorp staff had overlooked something. If Clark brought those readings to another lab, say STAR Labs, they might find something Clark could use.

For now, this was his strategy. He'd make the crystal useless to Luthor...maybe.

…

Lexcorp Flub on Radiation Readings

That was the name of the article that ran in the Daily Planet the next day. Clark Kent's info from STAR Labs had proven more fruitful than he anticipated. Apparently the radiation from the crystal was not harmful to human being in small doses, but prolonged exposure could eventually cause complications. It might take months, or even years for the effects to kick in, but too much exposure would make those problems inevitable.

And the kicker? Any technology designed to be powered by such a substance would ultimately come with the same complications, as that particular form of radiation didn't have an adequate form of containment yet.

Ultimately this meant that the crystal would soon be useless to Lexcorp. If Lex Luthor couldn't figure out how to get around this, he'd be forced to throw it away. When he no longer wanted it, Superman would claim it for himself, without anyone noticing.

It was when Clark sat at his desk, looking at a copy of that very paper while sipping some coffee, that Lois walked up, leaned on his desk, and came him a look that was half an evil glare, and half a mischievous smirk.

"Can I help you Miss Lane?" Said Clark.

"You have no idea just how lucky you are right now," said Lois.

Of course Clark knew she was referring to the dirt she had on Luthor...that was destroyed with her phone. Clark agreed that Luthor hanging out with mob bosses would easily have made the front page if Lois had kept it. All the information that the Daily planet could run on Lexcorp, aside from the Crystal Radiation flub, was a bunch of generic information on the tech Lexcorp showcased.

Of course she still technically made the front page with the headline, "Parasite sucks Power instead of Blood?" About Rudy Jones attacking Superman. The name Parasite had caught one with the public too. Of course given her obsession with getting dirt on Lexcorp, that article might as well have been a blue ribbon for a second grade science fair. No consolation at all.

"Something happen Miss Lane?" Clark asked innocently.

"Oh nothing," said Lois, moving to her own desk and sitting down. She picked up a pencil and started writing something. "Nothing at all." But Clark heard her mutter under her breath. "Aside from me losing all the dirt I'd ever need on Luthor, only for Kent to find some the next day." And she accidentally broke off the tip of her pencil, only to throw it in the garbage angrily and grab another.

Clark decided not to mention that his X-Ray vision had given him the information for that article. He was also amazed. Whatever his pod had done to his glasses it was working. Lois Lane had been standing face to face with him as Superman just hours ago, and now here they were, face to face again, and she didn't' recognize him one bit.

She caught him looking at her, "Did you want something Kent?"

Clark shook his head and replied, "No Miss Lane, and I just wanted to say that I didn't mean to steal anyone's thunder."

"I know," said Lois, sitting at her computer and switching from writing to typing. "Like I said, you got lucky."

Clark had to admit, he wasn't certain if he could take her constant attitude forever, so he teased, "Well, if my luck keeps up, maybe I'll make the front page next time...probably would have if it wasn't for this Parasite."

Lois laughed, "Oh is that how it is? Ok. Fine. I'm comfortable with a little competition."

"Healthy competition?" Clark inquired.

Lois smirked and said, "Sure."

Clark chuckled, and then they went back to work. In a way one of the most interesting thing about having dual identities, Clark was finding, was seeing two different sides of people. Which was closer to the real Lois? He wondered. "The one filled with awe and wonder at Superman? Or the snarky, challenging woman he saw before him? Either way, Clark was intrigued to find out

…

Lex Luthor rubbed his temples, feeling a massive headache as he leaned over his desk, calculations scattered across it erratically. Between Clark Kent's article and Lois Lane's snooping Lex had been threatened to be ruined on two sides. Fortunately it seems Mercy succeeded in destroying the evidence, as there was no article mentioning his encounter with mob bosses. Rudy Jones had also run some interference on the issue with that green crystal's radiation. Most people were focused on them.

Lex had naturally fired the person who messed up the radiology report. The only course of action now was to determine what would happen to that crystal. At first it seemed to be an incredible find. The long term effects it could wield for renewable energy were astounding, but the danger the substance technology posed to the general public wasn't worth it.

By Luthor's calculations the amount of time it would take to perfect adequate protective shielding for such a crystal far exceeded all other avenues for renewable energy Lexcorp was currently working on, so that was out. It wasn't an effective weapon either, as the radiation took so long to have any deadly effects. There was no need for renewable energy sources for weapons, so Luthor really had no use for it, and the papers on his desk were the calculations he went through thoroughly to find one. He did have a scientific curiosity about it, but he also had a business to run, so it had to go.

He picked up his phone and made a call, "Hello? I want it destroyed...yes that one."

From the Daily Planet, using his incredible hearing to spy on Lex Luthor, Clark heard the call. His chance to get that crystal was going to up up very soon.


	28. Chapter 28

Superman: The Ark of Krypton  
Chapter 28

By

Jason Richard

As he stood atop a nearby building wearing everyday clothes Clark took a deep breath, holding onto a lead lined box he had brought with him. He watched with his X-Ray vision as one of Lexcorp's scientists carried the green crystal to a disposal chute. Now that Lex Luthor didn't want it, Clark saw no reason not to take it for himself. He'd just have to rush in, get it in the lead lined box before the radiation could hurt him seriously, and get out.

He took a deep breath, and waited.

He could see the scientist's destination. Turns out Lexcorp had it's own garbage facilities, filled with conveyor belts and machines that separated the materials into what could be recycled and what would just go in the incinerator. It wasn't really manned all that much, so it was on that conveyor belt that he'd have his best chance. He waited, and waited, and finally the crystal was thrown into a chute that led to the garbage system, where there were, fortunately, no cameras.

Any moment now. He could see a clear path where no one would see him. Any moment now…

He rushed in as fast as he could, avoiding cameras and people, and made it into the trash room with the crystal…

Immediately falling face first to the floor in pain. For a second he forgot why he was there, and only wanted to get out of there as fast as possible. Then he remembered. Answers. He was here to get answers. The pod...the ship...where he came from...why he had been sent to Earth...all of it. With that in mind, he had to ask himself.

Was it worth dying for? Part of him thought perhaps the answer was no, but then he remembered that many people were after the same thing he was after. He had no idea what this ship was capable of, but it was from the same place he was, so it could probably do a lot.

Even if the ship provided no answers, he had to reach it before anyone else did to prevent it from falling into the wrong hands.

He forced himself to stand, pulling himself up off the floor inch by inch. He tried to fly, but that seemed to make the pain greater, so he abandoned that idea. He grabbed the lead lined box he had dropped and stumbled towards the conveyor belt. Supporting himself on the edge, he grabbed the crystal as it passed by, and cried out as it burned his hand...but somehow he managed to wrestle against the pain and work it into the box.

Once he closed the box and the lead blocked the radiation, he immediately felt better. He took deep breaths as he stood up properly...then realized it was time to leave, as he heard footsteps. By the time anyone entered that room, however, Clark was already gone.

...

Clark stood next to Ma and Pa kent in the hidden basement under the barn, watching the sleek, yet lifeless pod before them. In his hand Clark carried the lead lined box filled with that green crystal he needed to power it. In that moment of silence, the weight of what was about to happen really sunk into them.

"This is it, isn't it?" Asked Pa Kent. "We're really about to find out how you came to us, aren't we? I mean, wow..."

"Clark," said Ma Kent, putting her hand on Clark's shoulder. "I want you to know that no matter what we find out you're still our son, and we'll never stop loving you."

Clark put his hand on his mother's affectionately and smiled. His father then stepped up.

"Alright," said Pa Kent. "That stuff hurts you more than it hurts me, so leave this part to me."

"Thanks," said Clark, giving him the box and standing back as far as possible. Pa Kent then stepped forward and opened the box. He then put the glowing green crystal into the pod and watched as the hatch closed around it.

For a moment nothing happened, then the pod hummed to life, moving upwards them hovering in the middle of the room. Clark waited eagerly for something to happen, then the pod projected light onto the walls as it had before, spelling out a message.

Power, 25% . Pod operational. Enough power to return to mothership.  
Son of Krypton, please follow. Answers await at the Ark of Krypton.

Clark didn't have to guess who the son of Krypton was. The next moment the pod began to fly out of the barn. Clark, knowing he'd have to act fast, gave his Ma and Pa sad look.

Pa Kent sighed and said, "Never simple is it? Go on son. We'll be here when you get back."

"Just be careful dear," said Ma Kent.

Clark nodded, then sped out of the room, quickly changing into superman before flying after the pod, watching as the world sped past him. Soon, he thought. Very soon he'd have the answers he was looking for.

Meanwhile other people caught the signal the pod was using to track it's destination. Both Lexcorp and Star Labs immediately dropped everything to send teams out. The U.S. Military sent out platoons to the signal's origin. Even Lois Lane was contacted by a whistleblower at Lexcorp, letting her know something was up.

All these forces now had the same destination as Superman. All of them hoped to claim, in one way or another, the mysterious alien ship for themselves, and now it had a name.

The Ark of Krypton.

...

Noticed a typo at the last minute, it's been changed.

Jason.


	29. Chapter 29

Superman: The Ark of Krypton

Chapter 29

By

Jason Richard

Rudy Jones was going insane lying there. He kept struggling and struggling to find a way out of his restraints, but to no avail. For several minutes he tried, then gave up a bit before trying again. He had no visitors in that lab at the moment. Everyone had rushed out, something about a ship, and left him alone.

Little did he know that fate was on his side, however, as he wasn't in a lab that was kept air tight to keep pathogens out. Apparently luthor wanted to know if Rudy's body interacted with those types of organisms in any way. This meant that most creatures could get in.

Including an ant that had wandered in.

By an extraordinary coincidence the ant wandered across the floor and up the table Rudy was strapped to. Rudy then rolled over it, right as he was struggling to break free. The surge in power was small, but he felt it. An ant could lift several times its own weight, and once Rudy had that ability, he had strength several times his own weight and broke free.

Finding himself on the floor, no idea how he had gotten there, he immediately got up. He was dressed only in a hospital gown, but he could find clothes later. He decided he'd figure out what this talk of a ship was all about. Given the commotion, he had a feeling Lex Luthor would be there himself.

He'd had incredible strength, taken from Superman, now he'd see what an incredible mind was like. It wasn't long before he had sapped the strength of a couple of Lexcorp employees, including a helicopter pilot, and begun making his way to the ship himself.

…

Over forests, over cities, and over the ocean Superman flew, following his pod to its destination. Soon he found himself in africa, flying over the sahara desert. He kept flying for a while until the pod stopped right where the desert stretched for miles in every direction. Superman didn't' know which region of Africa he had been led to, but he knew he was pretty far from human settlements.

The pod hovered right above a giant sand dune, as big as a small hill. Superman waited, but the pod did nothing. He waited a moment longer, and then figured the pod wasn't going anywhere.

And this particular sand dune looked suspiciously large.

He took a very deep breath, his inhale making a small wind over the plains, and then let it all out, practically making a gale force wind that blew the sand dune away, revealing a giant metal object buried beneath it.

Or, at least, part of a giant metal object. Superman used his X-Ray vision to scan the object and realized that most of it was deep beneath the sands, and the part he was seeing was little more than a piece sticking out of the side, round and elliptical. The rest of the ship, shaped long and rounded with round protrusions sticking out of the sides, was enormous, larger than anything mankind had ever built.

It would have been more majestic, but Superman realized right away that the ship was sideways under the sands. No matter. He flew towards the ship and entered a hatch that his pod flew towards, going inside.

Through corridors that were disorientingly sideways with the roof and the floor on either side of him, Superman flew slowly after his pod. The inside of the ship was sleek and smooth, with decorative pillars embedded in the walls. They vaguely reminded him of greek or roman pillars, but were slightly elliptical, and had hieroglyphs from a language not of earth decorating them. Superman stared around him in awe and wonder at the sight.

Eventually the pod led him into a larger, longer room. It took a moment for Superman to realize that the walls were made of a clear substance, tougher than glass, and behind this substance were...some kind of animals.

Superman had to pause to take it all once. One room was like a forest, one like a desert, one an ice room, and many more. As the ship was on it's side the rooms were above and below him, but the ecosystem inside seemed to have adjusted, giving anything inside the upper rooms walkways of dirt to traverse on instead of the glass.

And inside these rooms were various forms of animals. Some of them looked familiar, like apes, felines, and canines, though their shape and colors varied from Earth animals. Some of the animals were more reminiscent of dinosaurs than anything else, and Superman could have sworn he saw something resembling a dragon in one of the desert rooms, which had a strange red light illuminating it, though Superman had no idea what that was about. Some of the animals looked like nothing ever seen on earth, as if they were made of metal, or even crystal. In truth Superman could have just spent all day looking at the various forms of wildlife there.

But the pod led him past that room, and finally they made it to what appeared to be a control room, on its side like the rest of the ship. The floor was covered in various control panels with sleek looking seats. Instead of buttons the panels had crystals sticking out, though Superman didn't know how one would work them. In front of him was a screen, which reminded Superman of sci fi shows with giant starships.

Finally his pod landed on the wall below and powered down. The next moment the screen powered up, though the image didn't' come through clearly. It was more like multicolored static than anything else. Of more importance was the robotic voice Superman heard.

"So you've finally come," it said. "Welcome aboard the Ark of Krypton, Kal-El."

Superman looked around, but couldn't see any apparent source for the voice.

"Who are you?" Asked Superman. "And...Kal-El...why do you call me that?"

"What am I would be a more appropriate question," said the voice. "I am the artificial intelligence for this vessel. I call you Kal-El because that is the name given to you on Krypton. I do detect a 90% probability that you were given a different name on Earth. If you inform me, I can call you by that designation if you prefer."

"Um...Kal-El is fine," said Superman, thinking that a robot saying his real name when the military and the media were on the way would probably backfire on him. "But what do I call you?" He added.

"My original designation in kryptonian, but a loose translation would read J.L.A.I. 13," said the voice. "As I was created by your biological father, Jor-El, and am the thirteenth AI he designed."

His biological father. Superman had to roll those thoughts in his head for a moment.

"My biological father," said Superman. "Created you? And he sent me and this ship to Earth? Why?"

"You were sent to Earth to save you from the destruction of our home planet, Krypton." The voice said with no hint of emotion. "The Ark of Krypton had a different destination, but during the destruction of Krypton received damage to its navigation systems. The only choice I had for this ship was to follow the only other kryptonian signal I could find. The pod that transported you, Kal-El."

It was jarring how the AI delivered this news, and it took a second for Superman to really comprehend what the AI was saying. For Clark, this news was Earth shattering. Was this thing really implying that he was the only survivor of a destroyed race? That this was why he was sent to Earth?"

But…

"Why…" asked Superman. "Why was I the only one sent here? Why was I the only one who escaped the planet? And how was it destroyed?"

"I suspect you will have many questions the more I explain," said the AI. "I suggest you view some video feeds I have in my database. They will explain everything. I am aware that other beings are heading straight for this location, but we should still have plenty of time."

The Military, the media, and whatever science labs are looking for this ship, Superman thought. He then took a deep breath, and then said, "Alright, fine. Show me."

The screen in front of him changed to footage of a world that was alien to Superman. The image was on its side at first, but it realigned with Superman after a moment, showing him a couple dark red and black robes hovering over a baby in a soft, elevated bed. Superman didn't need to have it explained to him who these people were.

These were, of course, his biological parents.


	30. Chapter 30

Superman: The Ark of Krypton

Chapter 30

By

Jason Richard

Superman watched as, on the screen, his biological parents fawned over him as a baby. The world around them was alien, filled with tall, sharp spires for buildings, bright lights, and a some building designs that were somehow fully ancient, recalling greek or roman, and futuristic, made of shining metal and technology.

The couple at the center of it all talked, but their mouth movements didn't quite match what they were saying. Superman figured they were speaking an alien language, since they were in an alien city wearing alien robes.

Apart from these details, the couple in front of him could easily have been from Earth, judging from the way they fawned over their child.

"He has your chin Jor-El," said the woman.

"And your eyes Lara," said Jor-El, a man who looked a lot like Clark Kent. "I could spend an eternity looking at those eyes."

The gesture made her smile, but Lara smiled and said, "If only you didn't have other matters to attend to."

"Yes," said Jor-El, rolling his eyes. "My meeting with the council. Wish me luck."

The turned to each other and rested their foreheads together, gazing into each other's eyes. "As always my love."

The scene switched to a giant council chamber, filled with people in similar robes, each with a mark decorating their cest. It was the same diamond shape that Superman had on his chest, though with different symbols inside them. It was only then that Superman noticed the exact same symbol on his chest adorned Jor-El's chest. He had no idea what it meant though.

Behind Jor-El were holographic displays showing the the planet and it's sun, with various symbols floating around it that Superman figured were mathematical calculations..

"So as you can see," said Jor-El, "Our red sun cannot sustain us for long. It is at the end of it's life cycle, and it will go supernova…"

"Yes yes," said one of the elders, rolling his eyes dismissively. "We thank you for this basic lesson in solar lifespans that every child on krypton knows, but I fail to see the urgency. Our solar satellites continue to revitalize the sun well past its natural expiration date. The natural laws you cite no longer apply. So…"

"With all due respect," said Jor-El, trying to remain calm. "Those satellites were only meant to be temporary. A means to buy time. They can absorb solar radiation and reintroduce it into our sun, but nothing, not even those satellites, can make something last forever. We can't just wish away the natural order. You put too much faith in our technology. I have no way of predicting the exact moment, but mark my words, the sun will explode, and soon."

"I think you could stand to have a little more faith in Kryptonian technology Jor-El," said another elder, a woman this time. "The satellites are working. Besides, moving an entire species off planet is no laughing matter. We simply don't have the resources."

"And now who has little faith in our technology?" said Jor-El. "Do you truly think I would come before the council with this proposal if I hadn't already worked out the means to accomplish it?"

"Yes," said yet another elder, reading off a holographic console in front of him. "This Ark you're building. I hope that isn't all. You would need a thousand such ships to accommodate all kryptonians, despite the Ark's impressive size. The only way it could do this is by manipulating space itself, and I only know of one dimension in existence where we can manipulate space to such a degree. Tell me Jor-El, are you planning what I think you're planning?"

Jor-El had to reluctantly admit, "Yes. The ship would have to, at least temporarily, take our people through the Phantom Zone in order to manipulate the ship's interior space."

The silence was intimidating. The elders didn't deliberate, but rather gave each other looks. Apparently they didn't need to speak to each other to come to the same conclusion. The phantom zone had more malleable physics than the normal realm, but it also was a prison for some of Krypton's worst criminals. Jor-El knew it would be a tough sell, but he'd hoped for better than this.

"Denied," said the elders, then one of them added. "We will not order a mass evacuation of Krypton. We know you have followers who believe your insanity, so to prevent riots anyone may go with you if they wish. But you would be responsible for any criminals that escaped from the phantom zone during your ludicrous plan. Are we clear?"

Jor-El obviously didn't like this decision, but reluctantly he nodded his head.

The scene then shifted once again, showing Jor-El and Lara strolling through the city, with little baby Kal-El in her arms. As they did the AI that was showing this to Superman added a little information.

"At the time of this particular video," it said. "The Ark was very nearly complete. Apart from some a few uncomplete systems all that was left was to organize the evacuation of those who wished to leave Krypton. Unfortunately, as Jor-El himself implied, no one could have predicted the exact moment disaster would strike."

On the screen Jor-El got a communication, but before he could answer it all the lights in the city turned red, and a shrill, high pitched sound not unlike an alarm sounded throughout the city. The sound scared baby Kal-El, who began crying. Lara immediately tried to calm him down, but Jor-El waited for the inevitable announcement, fearing the worst.

"Attention," came a voice over some sort of sound system. "Attention. Attention. Unidentified solar event in progress. Please report to the nearest safe zone and await further instructions."

"Unknown solar event huh?" said Jor-El, receiving the communication in a handheld device. "JLAI 13, is that solar even what I think it is?"

"I'm afraid so Jor-El," said the AI on the video, "Krypton's sun has just gone Supernova. I estimate about nineteen hours before the first matter from the sun makes impact with the planet."

Even knowing it was coming, Jor-El still has to pause, processing what he had just heard. His worst fears were confirmed.

Krypton had a matter of hours before it was destroyed in a supernova.

"Lara," he said.

"I know," said Lara, and the pair of them ran off, heading for transportation.

As they ran Jor-El brought of his communicator and said, "13, let as many people onto the Ark as possible before taking off. Wait until the last possible moment. Understand?"

"Yes sir," said JLAI 13, "I will comply to the best of my abilities, but there is another problem sir."

"Why does that not surprise me?" asked Jor-El.

"The explosion of the sun has released an electromagnetic pulse which interacted with our solar satellites in an unexpected manner. It has created a shockwave that will hit the planet within moments and could cause catastrophic damage to the technology here. Kryptonian shielding might negate some of that damage, but not by much, and the Ark's shielding is not yet complete. I do not know how many I can save before the shock wave arrives, but if the ark is to survive it cannot be here when that shockwave hits."

Jor-El sighed as they reached a small transport and said, "Understood, but my orders stand. Get as many people off planet as possible."

"Yes Jor-El," said the AI.

Jor-El and Lara finally reached their transport. A smaller ship that would couldn't go into space, but would be perfectly adequate to take them to the spaceport. They boarded and took off, speeding across the surface of the planet, over grasslike vegetation and past exotic alien animals.

After a few minutes the viewscreen inside the cockpit of the ship saw the spaceport in the distance. For a moment it seemed as if they might make it.

"Jor-El," came JLAI 13. "The shockwave is about to hit." Then began a countdown.

"No...no...not now!" cried Jor-El, speeding up as fast as he could. At 10 seconds, however, Jor-El stopped the ship and landed so they wouldn't be completely knocked out. The pair of them then strapped themselves in, Lara holding onto a crying baby Kal-El tightly, as if she would shield him with her body. As they were strapped in, Jor-El reached his hand out to her shoulder.

JLAI 13 finished the countdown, "3...2...1…"

Then the planet shook, and everything went black.

The scene shifted once more, to Jor-El waking up, the sound of someone screaming his name ringing in his ears. His eyes opened to see Lara standing over him, covered in bruises and carrying Kal-El, who was still crying at the top of his lungs. Jor-El could then feel dried blood on the side of his face as he realized he was lying on his side, still strapped to the chair which had broken from the floor of the ship.

"Jor-El," said Lara desperately. "We need to go. Now!"

Jor-El unstrapped himself and stood, and the pair of them stumbled out of the silent, broken beyond repair, ship. Outside they looked up and began to loose hope, as they could see the sky burning, filled with matter from exploded sun. Still, they ran on, hoping to find some means of escape.

At the spaceport they searched far and wide, Jor-El using a small scanner to find a ship that was still operational. No such luck. The shockwave had decimated the city, cracking the buildings and making all the lights go dark. There had to be something...something they could use.

All the dead bodies around them, people who hadn't survived the initial shockwave, took even more of their hope away.

Worse still were the people who had survived. Most of them were hiding, crying hysterically, or just staring at the sky. Not of them could be reasoned with. Jor-El even screamed at one.

"Come on!" he cried. "There's got to be an operational ship somewhere!"

"Even if there was," said the old man, lying on his back with giving the sky a blank stare, "What's the point?"

Jor-El and Lara let him be.

Finally Jor-El's scanner found something. It wasn't a ship, but an escape pod. It was small, and there was a chance it was a little damaged, but it might work. At the very least it would have a faster than light drive enough for one trip to an inhabited planet. He grabbed Lara's hand and led her and the baby to it, feeling just a little jolt of hope.

They found the pod inside the a wreck of a ship, and Jor-El examined it. The pod was barely in working condition, and wasn't at full power. He began working on it, fiddling with the controls and examining the interior mechanism. Lara stood back, finally managing to calm down little Kal-El so he wasn't crying so much.

Jor-El then injected something into the pod with a small device, "These nanites should give the pod a small copy of JLAI 13, which will help repair the ship and help us find the Ark again, at some point. Lara...Where do you want to go?"

"To the Ark of course," said Lara. "Where the rest of the survivor's are."

Jor-El kept working, but sighed, "I just looked at the communicator. Everyone already at the spaceport tried to take off in regular ships, and those who had signed up to get on the Ark didn't make it in time. No one boarded the Ark. Lara, if we do make it off the planet, it's just going to be us. So...where do you want to go?"

Lara had to take a moment to let that sink in, but thinking of Kal-El she knew her answer. "That one planet you found...Earth."

"Earth?" Jor-El asked. "Are you certain? It has a yellow sun, and a kryptonian hasn't walked under one of those in centuries. We'd be like gods on such a planet."

"I've thought of that," said Lara. "What better place to ensure our survival? The survival of our son? I even made some suits for us that can adapt to various planets, alter heat or deal with humidity. They should adapt to the powers we get on earth as well, reacting to the solar energy within it. It's a red and blue suit with the El house emblem on it. One for you and one for me, tucked into my robes. We can make one for Kal-El later."

But people would fear us, Lara," said Jor-El.

"Maybe some of them," said Lara. "But it's a big, harsh universe, and we're about to be so alone…" she almost choked up at the implications of that, but kept speaking. "If we are not feared, then we will be the one's who are afraid. On Earth, however, they are not unlike us. Many of them care for each other as we care for our own people, and can learn to not be afraid of us, if we give them no reason to be. It's the best place in this universe where our son can grow up and be happy."

"Jor-El sighed and said, "You may be right. Very well, we shall do it your way." then he frowned, still working on the pod.

"What's wrong?" asked Lara.

"The pod," he said, pointing to a screen on it showing three figures in red. One was shaped like Jor-El, one like Lara, and the third was shaped like their little baby. "The faster than light drive still has enough power in its own cells for a single trip, but the primary power core is damaged. The pod won't have enough thrust to break the atmosphere...at least…not with the weight of all three of us on board. Maybe..."

He fiddled with some more of the controls, and the figure shaped like Jor-El disappeared. The readings were in an alien language, but the color of the remaining figures turned yellow. Lara seemed to know what this meant.

"No," she said. "No you're coming with us. We need your. We…"

"The pod can't do it," said Jor-El in frustration. "The pod can't do it. It can't take our combined weight while in the planet's gravity. I don't want to leave you, but this is the only way. I won't let either of you die here. It's not going to happen." he looked back at the controls. "Not enough though. I just need to reroute some power nodes."

Jor-El kept working, but got more and more frustrated as he went. Lara stood back, showing incredible helplessness. In fact they both felt more and more helpless as Jor-El was still unable to get the pod to an optimal level, even removing his weight from the equation.

In his frustration Jor-El slammed his fist on the pod, "Those council fools! If I'd had their support the Ark would have been finished by now! We could have been gone before this!" Then he screamed in frustration before furiously working on the pod some more. No matter what he did, however, the pod never seemed to be in optimal condition.

Lara continued to feel hopeless the more Jor-El continued to work. She'd offer to help, but she just had to look at the pod to see that there wasn't much she could do that Jor-El wasn't already doing. Then she looked at her son, who seemed like he might cry again at any moment. She looked at the frightened, sweet, innocent little face, and realized she couldn't let him die any more than Jor-El could. Suddenly she knew what needed to be done.

She slowly walked over, put her hand on Jor-El's, and gently pulled it away. Jor-El watched in confusion as Lara changed some controls. The image of Lara on the pod disappeared, leaving only baby Kal-El, which turned green.

Jor-El gazed in astonishment at the readings. He looked up at Lara and shook his head as if to say no. She didn't' respond, but a tear ran down her eye, and the look in her eyes said that had accepted her fate, though she still feared it. Jor-El looked back and forth between her and the pod, his fingers occasionally hovering over the controls, but despite the severe desperation in his face he changed nothing. He then took one final look at his wife, and tears began rolling down his eyes. Both of them sobbed on the brink of hysteria, but then they nodded to each other, clearly knowing what had to be done.

Lara took out the suit she had intended for Jor-El, the red and blue suit with a cape, and placed it in a compartment in the pod. Then she and Jor-El very gently placed Kal-El inside the tiny ship, the pair of them still crying. As they lifted their hands away Kal-El, for a moment, grabbed onto Lara's finger, but she still had to pull away. Kal-El was automatically strapped in, and the pod door closed.

And Kal-El began to cry again.

Jor-El and Lara placed their hands on the glass, giving their son one last farewell. Kal-El began to cry as the pod levitated and began moving away from them. He cried out as the pod left the wrecked ship and flew high into the sky, and he continued to cry as the pod left the atmosphere and flew away from the planet.

He even cried as the supernova finally hit Krypton, shattering the planet to pieces, and then incinerating what was left.

And then the screen Superman watched went blank.

"And I think," said JLAI 13. "You know the rest of the story."

And Clark Kent, still dressed as Superman in the suit his birth mother left for him, certainly did know that, as he had to wipe away fresh tears from his face.


	31. Chapter 31

Superman: The Ark of Krypton

Chapter 31

By

Jason Richard

Lex Luthor took it as a matter of pride that he and his team of scientists reached the ship first. As the helicopters found places to land in the desert, however, he realized that the sand in that area had been disturbed; flatted as if by a large gust of wind...but only in the area immediately around the part of the ship that protruded from the sand.

Only one force in the world could do something like that, thought Luthor, noting with displeasure that he shouldn't be surprised that Superman got here before him.

The military arrived moments later, and Star labs arrived just as the first two groups finished setting up camps. They would inevitably have to negotiate between those two groups, but Lex was confident he could manipulate the proceedings in his favor.

Lex Luthor, as soon as possible, sent drones to examine the outside of the ship for any entrance. He found one, and though it had never been revealed to the public Lex Luthor's company had uncovered technology like this before, kept hidden away in secret labs. With what they learned from such devices it was only a matter of time before they got inside the ship.

Lex had his own tent, where a few guards kept him safe as he worked. He sometimes directed large operations at his own labs, but Luthor preferred to work on his most important projects alone. He stayed in that tent with his computers and a notepad, and looked over scans the drones gave him. After a while he finally got a device that should get the door open.

He held up the remote shaped device, admiring it, then contacted his assistant on a walkie talkie.

"Mercy," he said. "Call up the military and STAR Labs. It's time for our inevitable negotiations. Might as well do them when I have the perfect bargaining chip."

"Understood," said Mercy.

Lex Luthor then turned to leave.

Only to be startled by Rudy Jones standing there, in a stolen Lexcorp jumpsuit.

"Thanks for doing the legwork," said Rudy, before grabbing Luthor's face and making him fall unconscious. Rudy was about to walk outside, past the guards he had already drained and made unconscious, but then it hit him.

"Whoa!" he said, holding his head. "So this is what being a genius feels like huh?"

Thoughts swirled around in his head unlike any that he had thought before. Secrets of how technology worked, how a few hundred dollars in the right hands could ruin someone's reputation, all sorts of devious plans formed in his mind. It was a rush!

But then...his new intelligence and memories of Lex Luthor's life clashed with his own. Suddenly all the excuses he'd ever made for every single one of his failures no longer made him feel better. For every situation Rudy had gotten himself into, every poor decision he had made which drove people to kick him out of house he could no longer blame on others. Now filled with Lex Luthor's incredible mind and boundless ambition Rudy knew that his life could have turned out much differently if he'd been smarter, and yes...worked harder.

For Lex Luthor's beginnings were no less humble than his own, kicked out of his home as a young man. Unlike Rudy, however, Lex Luthor had been kicked out for committing crimes. He may have gotten away with them in the eyes of the law, but his parents knew the truth and disowned him. Like Rudy Lex Luthor had nothing, not a cent to his name, but while Rudy whined about his problems and fed off the work of others, Lex Luthor built a company from the ground up and became one of the richest men in the world.

Yes, Rudy now knew what it was like to be a genius like Luthor, but it was not entirely a pleasant experience.

…

While he did fly in the middle of that sideways ship's bridge in a red and blue suit, Clark Kent didn't feel like a superman in that moment. He had just witnessed two people, his birth parents, lose everything. Clark finally knew where he came from, and while he wasn't human, he had been sent to Earth for reasons that any human would understand. His parents just wanted a happy future for their son, even if they couldn't be a part of it.

"Thank you," said Superman, wiping a tear from his eyes. "Thank you for showing me."

"No thanks is necessary," said JLAI 13. "As your biological father's creation, this ship and I are your inheritance. That along with the suit you wear and the nanites in your human eyewear that hide your identity. I feel it appropriate to warn you that the forces you were worried about have arrived, ready to claim the Ark for their own. They have stood outside the ship for some time now.."

Superman sighed and said, "Yeah. I know. Just tell me one thing. The technology on this ship, if it fell into the wrong hands, what could it be used for?"

"This ship," said JLAI 13, "In addition to sustaining a population of kryptonians, has terraforming capabilities, allowing it to build a planetary ecosystem from scratch. Theoretically it could be weaponized, but your father Jor-El intended it to make a new Krypton for his people, and designed the ship for lifeless planets. Any attempt to terraform a life filled planet may kill an indigenous population, but it might not, and most changes to such a world would only be temporary."

"But the potential is there for a weapon?" said Superman. "And if I understand it, one could replace the ecosystem of an enemy planet with a friendly one, destroying the planet's inhabitants?"

"You surmise correctly." said the AI.

So that was where he stood. He didn't know if he would ever use this Ark to build a new Krypton as his birth father wished, but he did know one thing. This Ark, and the world it had landed on, were his to protect.

And at that moment, this meant negotiating with the military and scientists that stood outside the ship.

"Alright," said Superman. "I need to talk to everyone outside. Will you tell them what you told me?"

"Of course," said JLAI 13.

Superman nodded, then flew out of the room. He didn't get far, however, before he found something amiss. He was in the room with all the Kryptonian wildlife, only much of the wildlife in question was asleep. That in of itself wasn't a problem.

It was when Superman realized many of the pens above and below him were open. There were man size holes in the glass that weren't there before. As he flew, he knew something was up.

"Pardon me Kal-El," said JLAI 13. "You disappeared off my scanners for a second. It seems someone managed to tamper with my systems. I'm been blind in this room for a few minutes now. I'm sorry to report that you are not alone in there."

Superman didn't need to be told. He saw the person responsible fly down out of one of the pens in the roof. It was Rudy Jones, carrying an unconscious Lex Luthor over his shoulders. Clearly Rudy had absorbed Lex Luthor's mind and manipulated the ship's. Now he had absorbed power from the alien animals in the pens.

Superman put his guard up as Rudy noticed him.

Rudy just glared at him and said sarcastically, "Hey Superman. Look what I found. Aren't I the luckiest man alive?." It was clear that Rudy had absorbed the abilities of the kryptonian wildlife. What was also clear was that despite gaining that power Rudy was not a happy man.


	32. Chapter 32

Superman: The Ark of Krypton

Chapter 32

By

Jason Richard

The pair of them very slowly flew down until they stood on the glass, right above a habitat for the unconscious alien animals. The purple faced Rudy, still wearing the flight uniform from the helicopter, also put the knocked out Lex Luthor down, and then he and Superman looked each other in the eye.

Superman was also disturbed. If Rudy was taking the powers of the alien wildlife in this area he should have heard it. Had he been that distracted by the video of his birth parents? He had heard the military and scientists arrive, but not this. He was beginning to realize his hearing had limits. He could hear far away, but if he wanted to detect a particular sound, like a call for help, he had to listen for it deliberately. The sound had to be something Superman expected to hear, otherwise it got lost in the storm of sounds that constantly surrounded him.

He definitely hadn't expected Rudy Jones to figure a way inside the ship, and the fact that he had been distracted when this was going on certainly didn't help.

He was going to have to work on his hearing later.

"Rudy Jones," said Superman. "What are you doing here?"

"I was after you," said Rudy, looking around. "But then I found this place. Amazing isn't it? All these creatures locked up nice and comfortable for me, and they won't try to escape my grasp too much, and if they do they'll be easier to track down than you. Seems I don't need you anymore. Good news for me, bad news for you."

And rudy grinned, but something about that grin seemed half hearted to Superman.

"Why?" asked Superman. "Why do you want this power? What do you even intend to do with it?"

"You need to ask?" said Rudy. "All my life I'd wanted things no one would give me. I always had to earn it with chores or schoolwork or a job...blah blah blah. Now I don't need to ask permission for the things I want. I can take them, and no one can stop me."

Something was off about the way Rudy said that, Superman noticed. He didn't seem entirely convinced of his own intentions, as if he was struggling to keep his grin up.

"I don't think you'll be able to keep that up," said Superman. "After all you don't keep power forever. Eventually you'll make a mistake and be caught powerless."

"See you did your research," said Rudy, his grin dissapearing. "Yeah, I'll make a mistake...cause I'm a huge lost cause. A lazy idiot who can't get anything done. Right?"

"That's not what I meant," said Superman.

"But it's true," said Rudy. "Lately I've been forced to look at myself through other people's eyes, and I suddenly don't like what I see. Don't you get it? That's why I have to take other people's abilities. I have none of my own."

"It doesn't have to be that way," said Superman. "You got here all on your own, and got past the military outside all on your own, and didn't even need my power to do it. That shows potential."

"Wrong," said Rudy, shaking his head. "I had the brains of smarter people, especially this loser," he pointed to the unconscious Lex.

"True," said Superman. "But if you have his mind, then you know it wasn't just given to him, nor most of the people whose gifts you stole. No one ever became a genius overnight. You know, they learned, they read..."

"They worked?" asked Rudy, unconvinced. "Yeah. I know. It sickens me to know what I could have done to have a better life now that I'm a genius, but at the same time, I am a genius now, and I didn't have to lift a finger to become one...well...except to grab Lex Luthor by the neck." he grinned again, this time less forcefully.

"Besides," said Rudy, who began thinking of himself as Parasite. "You're not one to talk. You did get your power overnight...pretty much."

That was certainly true, but Superman, for a moment thinking of himself as Clark Kent, remembered days helping out on the Kent farm before getting his powers. Lifting bales of hay, feeding the animals...all that stuff.

But he had the suspicious idea that if he mention this to Rudy, the man wouldn't believe him. Still, he continued to suspect that Rudy's heart wasn't entirely with what he was saying.

"You know those newspapers," Rudy went on. "Called me the Parasite, and...yeah. That fits. I'm the Parasite now, and I'll continue to leech the strength from people who put in real effort, so I can reap the rewards without lifting a finger."

"You don't sound convinced of your own words," said Superman, eyeing him suspiciously. "And I think I know why. I've never met the man face to face, but know Luthor's bio. He built his company from the ground up, and designed most of his company's technology personally. He's a proud perfectionist who wouldn't be satisfied with leeching other people's accomplishments and calling them his own. Someone does something, he'd just do something bigger and better, and that pride is clashing with everything you're trying to do here."

Rudy had to admit, Superman had hit it right on the nose. Most of him was amazed that he was as powerful as he was now, but another part of him was screaming that these weren't really his accomplishments. Even his ability to take powers from others was developed by someone else. The truth was a man as lazy as Rudy Jones could also be as driven as Lex Luthor. Both sides of his mind were tearing at each other and it was driving him crazy.

At least the thoughts and emotions from the alien animals he absorbed were simple enough to ignore. Lex Luthor could never be ignored, even if he was just a mental projection.

"Rudy," said Superman. "I don't know anything about you, but I don't think you'll be able to keep this up forever. If your powers really give you a person's mind, how do you know you'll be able to hold onto your own identity?"

Rudy thought for a moment, and then said, "So what? I'm a failure. I have been my whole life. A miserable failure who can't do anything for himself and makes excuses to cover it up. Why would I want that identity?"

"Is that you talking? Or Luthor," said Superman. "It doesn't have to be this way. You can choose to be a better man here and now, without taking Luthor's or my abilities. Plenty of people have changes of hearts and turn over a new leaf. Why not try that yourself?"

Rudy was silent for a moment, then he slowly brought his hands up and clapped.

"Bravo," said Rudy. "Bravo. That was a great speech. If I were just Rudy, I would have thought that was all phony to get out of having your powers stolen. Having Lex in my mind, however, means I can tell you really mean that...really sappy stuff.

"Maybe I could turn over a new leaf, but I just don't want to. In truth there is a part of me that both Lex Luthor and I share. We both want power, so I'll be holding onto this ship and all the powerful creatures within. With them locked away in here, and Lex Luthor's mind at my disposal, I don't really need you, now that I think about it. I'm as powerful as you right now, maybe even more powerful, and that's quite a feeling. Everyone calls me the parasite now, and you know what? I'll think I'll embrace that name. Superman, meet the Parasite, and prepare to get the beating of your life."

Superman could feel Rudy...or the Parasite vibrate with powerful energy. Knowing he wouldn't be able to negotiate with this man any longer, Superman powered himself up, tapping deep into his well of strength, the room vibrating as he prepared to fly.

"Let's take this somewhere else," said Superman. "There are people nearby who could get hurt."

"Ooh," said Rudy, grinning. "Don't want innocent bystanders to get little boo boo's huh? Leverage!"

Superman sighed and said, "Fine. Let's go somewhere we won't damage this ship. If we destroy the animals here then you really will need me to keep power, and I'm not just going to sit back and let you cage me."

Rudy laughed and said, "Wouldn't want to hurt the merchandise huh? Well played. That's certainly true. Fine. We'll take this somewhere else."

And the pair of them flew at incredible speed out of the ship, over the military and scientists encampments, and across the desert. As they breached the sound barrier the shockwave made a giant crater in the sand.


	33. Chapter 33

Superman: The Ark of Krypton

Chapter 33

By

Jason Richard

Superman and the Parasite flew as fast as they could. Parasite had gotten his flight from a strange creature resembling a giant bacteria covered in a bubble of green slime with a tentacle protruding from it. It had been gross touching it, but he had wanted as much power as possible, and this creature could levitate in the air.

He had also noticed that any time he stepped outside of the cages the creatures were kept in he felt stronger, as if something inside the cages suppressed their full strength, but out in the open he could feel their power in full. Between the flying from that creature and the massive strength, speed, and fire breathing from the dragon-like creature, he pretty much had as much power as he'd need to take on Superman..

Before their fight began, however, Superman detected another object flying towards him. It was his pod, and as it flew next to him, matching his speed, he heard JLAI 13 speak.

"A word of caution sir," said the AI. "Skin contact will result in him draining your power. Might I suggest a pair of gloves? They're similar in construction to your suit, and should suffice."

The pod opened and revealed a pair of long red gloves, which Superman took and put on. He probably wouldn't wear them most of the time, but for this fight they would probably help.

"Thanks," said Superman as the pod retreated. Parasite, flying next to them and seeing this happen, didn't mind if he couldn't get Superman's powers. One of the vague memories he retained from Superman was his weakness to that green crystal, something he would rather not take a chance on.

When they were far enough away from the ship, over a some large rock formations, they stopped, and stared at each other while hovering in the air. Superman, in his red and blue suit and cape, clenched his fists in anticipation. Parasite, in his stolen flight uniform and purple skin, grinned in anticipation and cracked his knuckles.

Then they flew at each other to attack.

Superman took the lead in the fight quickly, using his heat vision to blind the Parasite and punch him in the chest, making a sound like thunder as the villain was knocked through the air and smashed into the sands, making a small crater.

As a dazed Parasite stood up he turned back to Superman with an angry look. Parasite then flew up, attempting to blast Superman with the fire breath he'd gotten from the dragon like creature, which was hot enough to melt steel. Superman responded with his ice breath, cold enough to make steel shatter.

As their elements clashed Parasite closed the distance, but Superman flew out of the way at the last moment, aiming a punch at the back of Parasite's head. The Parasite, however, just caught Superman's wrist before the blow landed. He then yanked Superman forward and punched him in the chest, sending him flying, shattering a rock formation to dust and making another crater in the sand.

As Superman stood up he felt a pain in his gut, something he didn't feel often. Parasite, meanwhile, didn't seem too fazed by the punch Superman gave him a moment ago. Superman realized the difference between him and the Parasite now was like the difference between a man and an animal. The combined strength of the kryptonian wildlife made this villain a deadly foe, and the Parasite knew it as he grinned in delight while levitating high above.

Parasite then dive bombed, and Superman caught Parasite's hands with his own, but the force of Parasite's flight sent him backwards, his feet kicking up sand as he went. Superman quickly twisted around, letting Parasite fly past him. Parasite tried to turn around, but Superman flew quickly around him, punching him in the back and sending him flying.

Parasite tried to get his bearings and get his eyes on Superman, but Superman, using his incredible speed, managed to get behind Parasite again and punch him with a sound like thunder. For a few moments Superman attacked like this, flying at intense speed, zigzagging through the air, and hitting Parasite from an angle he didn't expect. With the constant blows from such a strong being, anyone nearby might have thought it was thunder if the sky wasn't so cloudless.

Tired of getting knocked through the air like this, Parasite thought of another ability from one of the animals, a sort of yellow hound that apparently had the ability to telepathically track it's prey. Seeing where Superman intended to attack him, Parasite whipped around and kicked Superman in the face, sending him flying backwards.

As Superman reoriented himself it was Parasite's turn to zigzag around in the air. Superman tried to do the same, but Parasite, reading Superman's mind, was able to predict his every move. Just when Superman thought he was attacking from Parasite's blind spot, the Parasite would whip around and send him flying with a powerful punch. Parasite wound up in Superman's blind spot more often than not, and with the fight happening at close to the speed of sound not even Superman's hearing could clearly keep track of him.

Now it was Superman's turn to get annoyed at being constantly knocked around. It was strange, he thought as he was knocked around. Superman had Parasite on the defensive just moments ago, and now it was like Parasite could read his mind. Then again, Superman didn't know the abilities of the animals. Maybe one of them did have telepathy. If so, he might have a way to reverse the situation again.

One particularly powerful blow send Superman crashing through the sand. As Superman stood on, feeling stiff from the hit, he saw Parasite flying straight for him. Hoping he was right about the telepathy he pictured a scene that would really upset the Parasite's alter ego Rudy Jones.

He pictured Lex Luthor, atop the sky high Lexcorp tower, laughing at a lowly Rudy Jones, sweeping garbage of the sidewalk.

A look of shock blew across Parasite's purple face, and his hesitation gave Superman the opportunity he needed to blast Parasite with his heat vision, sending him flying backwards. The Parasite tried to brace himself, but the sands gave away against his feet as he continued to be pushed backwards by the force of the blast.

Superman didn't let up. He flew forward and hit the Parasite in the chest with a barrage of punches, pushing the villain back and ripping the front of the man's jumpsuit to shreds. The Parasite clenched his muscles, hoping to endure the blows, but could feel pain starting to form in his chest as he continued to slide across the sand.

He then considered another animal he had seen. It was a bird that was made entirely of crystal, completely see through so that it's crystal skeleton and crystal organs were visible. Up to this point Parasite hadn't considered trying to use powers like claws or poisonous fangs; things that would require him to change his form. The powers he could use just kind of came to him usually, and that crystal form hadn't. However, perhaps if he concentrated…

Superman felt like he was winning. Even with all Parasite's stolen strength even he couldn't withstand this forever. Superman took Parasite's grimace as a good sign…

Until one of the punches hurt.

Superman immediately flew back, rubbing his hand in pain. As he landed he looked up at Parasite, whose body underwent a strange transformation. With Parasite's jumpsuit pretty much in tatters he could see everything, and Parasite's body was now crystalline in appearance. He was also completely see through as a crystal skeleton, crystal blood veins, and crystal organs appeared.

Superman knew diamonds were the hardest substance on earth, so even though he had no idea what kind of crystal this was, something told him he wouldn't be able to break it easily.

Parasite knew it too, as he looked up at Superman and grinned in satisfaction.


	34. Chapter 34

Superman: The Ark of Krypton

Chapter 34

By

Jason Richard

Superman flew back as the crystal Parasite attacked, the villains translucent mouth grinning over his visible skull. Just one punch had nearly broken Superman's hand, so he knew he couldn't fight him head on. At that moment all he could do was dodge the Parasite's incredible fast barrage of punches.

But then one connected with his torso. If Superman thought a hit from the Parasite hurt before, this was completely different. As Superman flew through the air, skidding through the sand, he had to cradle his stomach, confident he now knew what it was like for a normal person to be hit with a crowbar.

And the Parasite came again. Superman quickly flew away, shooting heat vision at his attacker. They flew across the desert at high speed, Parasite effortlessly dodging the twin beams. Then Superman tried ice breath, spreading at as wide as possible so Parasite couldn't dodge.

Parasite countered with his fire breath again, and in his more crystalline form one could see the flames forming in his lungs and travelling up his throat and out his mouth. The flames, once again, proved to be equal to Superman's ice breath.

Parasite, however, had absorbed power from two other fire breathing animals as well. There was a giant firefly looking creature, and a batlike creature with four legs and two wings. Tapping into their power, as well as the dragon like creature, Parasite soon had an inferno pouring from his lungs, that overwhelmed Superman and sent him crashing into the ground once more.

Superman, feeling the heat, quickly stood as Parasite flew on. He was running out of ideas on how to defeat this monster, so he did the only thing he could think of. He used ice breath and heat vision on his own hands, making a massive cloud of steam. Parasite tried to attack Superman in that cloud, but lost sight of him. As the steam cleared he looked around, but couldn't see Superman. He tried to track him with telepathy from the hounds, but that apparently had limited range, for Superman's thoughts were nowhere to be found. He tried to use super hearing from some of the animals, but Superman had that power, and knew how to keep quiet enough to escape that. Parasite had no way to track Superman.

But Superman had run from him, Parasite realized with a grin.

"Oh come on Superman!" cried Parasite, grinning as he looked around. "You're not done yet are you? You might want of rethink how 'super' you really are. Or if you're even a man." and he chuckled.

Superman hid behind a rock formation on his knees, panting for breath and hugging his stomach from the pain. Superman was used to hiding his identity as Clark Kent, but hiding for his life was knew to him, much like this kind of pain. He didn't know what to do. He might have had a chance before, but that crystallized form was too strong.

He was just wondering what he could do when his pod hovered up next to him.

"My apologies Kal-El," said JLAI 13. "I wish I could render you more assistance, but neither this pod nor the Ark have any kind of weapon systems. The best I can do is scan for any vulnerabilities."

"Found any?" asked Superman hopefully, his voice hoarse from labored breathing.

"Only one," said the AI. "There are no currently exploitable weaknesses inherent to the creatures he absorbed power from, but his ability to absorb powers will diminish soon."

"I already know he loses his power," said Superman, rubbing his chin. "And weaknesses…" thinking of how Lois Lane had helped him before. "What if I deliberately gave him my power, and you opened the hatch with your power source? That green crystal I gave it?"

"It is called kryptonite," said the AI. "And yes. If you give Parasite all your power it will give him your vulnerabilities and I can expose him to the kryptonite. Calculating...such a tactic might overload this individual's power, making him lose the energy he's collected."

It's a risky play, thought Superman, but it could work...then…

"No," said Superman, shaking his head. "I figured out he stole telepathy from something. He physically reacted to my thoughts. I try this and he'll see it coming a mile away."

"From the telepathic hounds no doubt," said the AI. "Calculating...upon further review of the scans you will not need to give him all your power. If you get a hold of him for just a second the kryptonite should interfere with the power transfer itself, and that should be enough to overload him. He can see you coming, but I am artificial, therefore immune to telepathy."

Superman was still feeling pain in his stomach, and he just shook his head. "I don't know if I can even do that." he said honestly. Superman had never met a challenge he couldn't handle. For so long he'd always been the most powerful person in the room, even if he kept that fact hidden. Now that he met someone he couldn't handle, he felt guilty for not being prepared for it, as if he was letting down anyone the Parasite might harm.

"Kal-El," said the AI. "I have not been able to observe your development, but if you are in any way similar to your father, my creator Jor-El, then I cannot fathom you giving up at this point. Jor-El was never one to back down from doing what he considered to be the right thing to do."

"I saw," said Superman. "And he failed. He wasn't able to save his planet."

"But he saved you," said the AI. "Not much compared to an entire race, but if he had given up, would he have even achieved that?"

Of course, thought Superman. How could he have forgotten that?

Superman had to laugh a little at himself as he replied, "No. Probably not. Sorry. I've gotten too used to being more powerful than my problems."

The next moment an explosion rocked a nearby rock formation. The Parasite was trying to flush Superman out with his flame breath. Or inferno breath as Superman was inclined to call it at the moment. Superman had to admit he was feeling nervous about this.

"There might be another way," said the AI. "We've already established that this Parasite cannot hold onto power indefinitely. You, however, are another story. Your body absorbs it's power from a nearly infinite source. No matter how much energy you use in this fight, you can always absorb more from the sun."

Superman was surprised. He got his power from sunlight? Then again it kind of made sense. Surely this much power required a source, and doubted he got it from simply eating food or breathing air.

"A yellow sun such as that on Earth has energy as yet undetected by Earth science," said the AI. "Your body can store massive amounts of that energy. If you can feel this energy within, you can not only use more of it than you naturally do, making you stronger, but you can even learn to absorb that energy more quickly, recharging yourself faster. If you drag this battle out and conserve your energy, Parasite will run out of steam long before you do, and such a tactic wouldn't require deception, making telepathy less of an issue."

It was a good plan, but Superman decided, "And if Parasite tries to reverse this by stealing my power, you get out the kryptonite. I'll accept the risk."

"As you wish," said the AI. "Now, just imagine that well of power inside you filling up from an outside source, then imagine it filling up faster. It may take a while to really master this kind of control over your power, but against this Parasite that knowledge alone will have to do."

"I understand," said Superman, concentrating. "And when we get out of this, I want to learn more about my birth parents and Krypton."

"Kal-El," said the AI. "All the knowledge I possess is at your disposal whenever you need it."

…

ParasiteParasite was worried. He'd start losing his power soon, and returning to the ship to drain those alien animals again would leave him vulnerable to an ambush. Part of him wanted to believe that Superman had just fled, effectively making him the winner, but a shrewder part of him was certain Superman was just buying time.

A fear that was confirmed when Parasite's telepathy picked up Superman.

Parasite turned around, his purple, crystal face frowning. He wasn't losing power yet, though from his mind reading he realized Superman was counting on the fact that he would. Parasite also read that Superman was drawing in more power than before. So Superman was solar powered? Interesting, but maybe two could play at that game.

Parasite tried to absorb sunlight the same way, and while something in him apparently did this, his rate of absorption was slow, and the harder he tried the harder it was to hold onto his crystal form. Apparently increasing the power of one creature decreased the power for another. If Superman could continue to absorb energy faster than Parasite, he was guaranteed to get stronger.

And with that ship flying around with Superman's weakness inside, he couldn't afford to just absorb Superman's power.

Oh well, thought Parasite, grinning maliciously. Who needs it?

He flew towards Superman at top speed, attacking him relentlessly. In a incredible barrage of punches, each of which Superman dodged as best as he could, zig zagging through the arrow and narrowly missing the Parasite's knuckles. To anyone watching the pair were a blur high above the ground as the pair moved at high speed.

Then Parasite got a hit in, catching on Superman's torso, making Superman cry out in pain. Parasite grinned with glee at his success, until Superman immediately used heat vision to force him backwards...if only for a few seconds. Parasite immediately began attacking again, and Superman dodged again. For a minute or two this went on…

And Parasite hot another hit in, right in the stomach. Superman, feeling like he could black out at any moment, tried to use heat vision, but Parasite just flew out of the way and kept hammering him with everything he had. Superman actually felt like his ribs could crack at any moment.

So in the air he lay back and kicked the Parasite back with both feet. It didn't send him very far, and Parasite wasn't very hurt, but Superman used the force to send him flying away. Parasite pursued, but at least Superman had some distance now.

Parasite immediately flew forward, ready to take down Superman once and for all. Superman wasn't even flying that fast now, and soon Parasite would be able to grab the cape that billowed in the wind behind him. Any moment the Parasite would catch him and beat him to bits. Closer and closer the Parasite flew, a wicked grin on his face...

And then he felt it. Parasite was starting to get weaker, his own well of energy beginning to disappear. His ability to absorb power was running out, and he realized he had to seal his victory. He'd have to go back and absorb more power, even if it meant endangering the animals he intended to use.

Parasite immediately flew away, and Superman turned around to pursue, realizing what direction he was going. He was stil hurting from the pain, but he imagined that well of energy inside him flowing to his battered torso, hoping to heal up. It started to feel like it was working..

Superman was able to match Parasite's speed, but only just. Knowing he couldn't let Parasite steal more power, he took a deep breath as he flew. Of course a deep breath for Superman made a gale force wind that slowed Parasite down significantly. Frustrated Parasite tried to pick up the pace, but Superman was able to grab Parasite's ankle and swing him around unleashed the full torrent of his ice breath.

Parasite countered with fire breath with the power of all three fire breathing animals he had absorbed power from, but with time to prepare his blast Superman was able to counter it completely. When their breath's ended Superman hit the Parasite with heat vision, blasting him back several feet. Parasite, grimacing, moved out of the way of the blast and tried to fly forward.

He dodged around Superman's heat vision again, hoping to get around the red and blue man, but Superman wasn't going to let himself be on the defensive again. He focused on that well of energy the AI told him about, forcing all of it to go to his eyes, making a much wider beam of heat vision than before, which the Parasite was unable to dodge. He was blasted back once again, his crystal body slamming into the sands as the heat vision melted the sand.

Suddenly Superman felt weak. He had to shut off the heat vision and let himself float to the ground. That well of energy he had started to feel wasn't' as bright as before. It seemed the heat vision used a lot of it, and it would take a few moments of standing in the sun for it to recharge. He gave a worried glance in Parasite's direction.

Parasite, meanwhile, lost his crystal transformation, turning into a man with purple skin. He was starting to lose his power as well. He realized he wouldn't be able to make it to the ship in time. He only had one choice.

He flew towards Superman at high speed, and with Superman's own energy running low he wasn't able to get out of the way in time, and Parasite got his hands on Superman's' face. Superman tried to pry the villain off, but Parasite was already beginning to drain his power. With no other option available, Superman shouted, "Now!"

And his pod flew up, a hatch opening to expose both of them to kryptonite. As the pain shot through both of them, they both gave out an incredible yell.


	35. Chapter 35

Superman: The Ark of Krypton

Chapter 35

By

Jason Richard

Superman and the Parasite screamed in pain as the pod exposed its kryptonite power source to them. The flash of electric energy that normally accompanied Parasite's power drain turned green as the kryptonite interfered with it. Superman went from trying to pry Parasite's purple hands off his face to holding them down so the villain would get as much of the kryptonite weakness as possible.

Parasite, unable to fight the pain and pull his hands away, instead grasped Superman's head and squeezed as hard as he could, making Superman clench his eyes and scream louder.

"Give up Superman!" cried Parasite, also grimacing from pain. "You're losing power by the second. I'll crush your head long before I go down! Then maybe I'll pay a visit to those parents I'm seeing in your mind and tell them what I think of you while I'm crushing their skulls in!"

Superman clenched his fists, but he didn't try to pull Parasite's hands away.

"That's where you're wrong." he shouted defiantly, even though he felt like his body was melting from the inside out. "You're losing the power you had before, meaning you're losing what you got from Lex Luthor, like his ambition and drive to succeed, things you never took the time to get. For the sake of those I love, and anyone else you might harm, I'll never give up. But you, Rudy Jones, will do what you always do when things get hard. For you own sake, you'll give up."

Superman was right. The Parasite could feel his will to keep fighting slipping away with every passing moment. He kept thinking he had to fight, but was that him talking, or Luthor? How long could he hold out? The pain! The pain!

He tried to crush Superman's head harder, and both of them screamed, each determined not to be the one who succumbed to the kryptonite first. Superman felt like his skull could start cracking at any moment, but he kept the Parasite's hands in place all the same. The screamed at the top of their lungs for a few more moments, and then…

"Alright!" cried Parasite. "Alright! I give! Just make it stop!"

"Close the hatch!" cried Superman.

"I cannot!" cried the AI from the pod. "He has not finish overloading! If I close the hatch now he will retain the power he has stolen!"

Neither of them was going to last much longer, Superman realized. He thought through the pain and screamed, "Rudy! Look up and focus your power in your eyes!"

Rudy obeyed, and soon a torrent of heat vision poured from the twin organs in his head, filling the sky with a bright red light. After a moment the light flared brightly, turning green, but after a few moments of this the torrent stopped, and the Parasyte fell back, lying in the sands unconscious. Superman took a few deep breaths, finally free of the pain...mostly. His head was pounding like nothing he'd ever felt before, but that was better than having his skull crushed.

"You got him to deplete his solar energy," said the AI. "Well done. It seems that triggered the overload as well. This individual has no power left, though that didn't stop him from harming you. It seems you have suffered a few cranial fractures. They should heal quickly though, as you energy replenishes."

"I hope so," said Superman, shaking his head. "I felt like he was going to crush my skull."

"He almost did," said the AI. "It is fortunate that the Kryptonite seemed to slow his power to absorb your strength. Even with that in consideration, it would only have him a few more seconds for him to kill you."

As terrifying as that reality was, Superman had to laugh, "Lucky he broke first, huh?"

"Indeed," said the AI. "You're power should return soon, long before he regains conciousness.."

"Good," said Superman, standing up. "I think I've had enough of this guy to last a lifetime. Hmm…" he rubbed his chin. "I wonder how things are going back at the ship?"

…

"For every fifteen minutes that Mr. Luthor remains missing someone will be FIRED!" shouted Mercy into her cell as she strolled through the camp. Mercy couldn't fathom who could have done this. Mr. Luthor was missing from his tent, and the men guarding him were unconscious. She couldn't fathom what was going on, but she wasn't going to sit around when Lex needed her.

She got another call and answered. "What. They're starting negotiations when?! That's all we need! We…"

She couldn't finish. She stared open mouthed as she saw Superman flying down from the sky carrying Lex Luthor over his shoulder. Superman lay him down gently, only for Luthor to groan.

"Mrs. Graves I assume?" said Superman, pleasantly, as if he didn't already know. "Rudy Jones got to your boss here. He'll be fine in a little while, but I figured you'd want to take care of him yourself."

Though I'd rather have evidence to get him arrested, thought Superman, realizing that Lois must be rubbing off on him.

"Um...thank you," said Mercy. "I...I'll take it from here."

Superman nodded and flew off, leaving Mercy to look confused for a moment before shrugging, calling for stretcher for Lex Luthor.

…

When Superman turned over an unconscious Rudy Jones to the military, they agreed to take him into custody, giving that he had assaulted Lex Luthor and had temporarily gained power comparable to Superman's. General Lane, the man in charge of this particular military operation, agreed to let Superman in on the negotiations concerning what the world would do with the ship.

First, however, Superman had a promise to keep. He owed Lois Lane that exclusive interview.


	36. Chapter 36

Superman: The Ark of Krypton

Chapter 36

by

Jason Richard

"Where did you say Clark was?" asked Lois as she walked with Jimmy Olsen through the field of tents.

"He called in sick," said Jimmy. Right before the alerts went out and we were ushered into the helicopter.

Lois burst out laughing. She knew it was mean, but she couldn't help it. Of all the days to be sick it was the biggest news story of the century. Part of her felt sorry for him, but the other part of her thought it was hilarious.

Though when Superman flew down from the sky, she forget all about Clark Kent.

"Miss Lane," said Superman. "I believe I owe you that interview."

"It's about time," said Lois, crossing her arms as she smirked.

JImmy, meanwhile, just stared at the two of them, open mouthed and shocked.

…

So Lois Lane held up her tape recorder and listened as Superman told the story he had learned not too long ago, about how he was born on an alien world and his parents gave up everything to make certain their son had a chance to live. It was rare that Lois cried when she heard someone's story, but it really got to her when talked about the moment Jor-El and Lara put their son in the pod. As they stood between the tents she switched off her recorder and wiped her eyes.

"Thank you for sharing," she said, turning off her tape recorder.

"My pleasure Miss Lane," said Superman, smiling.

"I'm not crying by the way," she added quickly. "I've got...sand in my eyes."

"Of course," said Superman. "I wouldn't presume otherwise."

She could tell he was teasing her.

…

Soon a world conference began, with the various scientists and military commanders from all over the world gathering next to the ship in the desert. They also had portable screens so world leaders could participate remotely. Though the talks would begin with the world leaders each staking a claim, all eyes were on the man wearing red and blue that flew in from above and landed next to the ship.

Superman, for his part, went ahead and let everyone talk first, waiting just as patiently as the nearby news media. The various scientists all made the claim that their organization or university should have the ship, as they were best qualified to study it, though many also felt the knowledge should be shared for the good of all mankind.

The various world militaries were a bit more aggressive, pointing out that the possibility for powerful weapons created from the ship's knowledge meant the ship needed protection. None of the commanders suggested who would protect it though, knowing that the various world leaders were going to speak next.

And of course the world leaders all had differing opinions. Some said the knowledge should be shared, some said it should be locked away so no one could use it, and some said that it should be kept safe by their own government. Of course since the ship was on African Soil that nation seemed to have the strongest claim. On that note, one of the military commanders added something.

"This is all very fine and dandy," said general Sam Lane gruffly. "But there is another person here who...I've got to be honest I thought would have strong armed himself into the conversation by now. He's been waiting pretty patiently though, and I'm curious as to what he has to say."

All heads followed Same Lane's eyes to Superman, who took a deep breath and began to speak his peace.

"Thank you for letting me speak," he said. "I do not blame general Lane for being wary of me, so let me first take this opportunity to let the world know that I am no threat to anyone on this planet. I only wish to use my powers to help those who cannot help themselves. Now, as for this ship I know exactly what it is and where it comes from."

"And how would you know that?" asked General Lane.

"Because," said Superman. "We are both from the same place, a planet called Krypton."

The various military commanders, world leaders, and scientists all started talking amongst themselves about this new development. Superman once again waited patiently, and then resumed his words when they were finished consulting with each other. He decided he wouldn't tell them everything, but keep his explanation brief as the world would get a more detailed explanation from Lois's interview.

"I am the last survivor of a planet called Krypton," said Superman. "The name I was given on that world is Kal-El, It was destroyed when its sun went supernova, leaving me alone. I am on Earth to make a new home for myself. This ship is the last remnant of my old home, and I've been searching for it for some time. This ship was built by my father on Krypton, Jor-El, as a way to make a new hope for our people, but he didn't finish it in time. It has no weapons, but it has the potential for them.

"As this ship belonged to my father it is my responsibility, so I intend to keep it safe myself. Any scientific knowledge the ship contains I will be more than happy to share with the scientists of Earth. I do not wish for that knowledge to be used in war, as the last thing I would want is the knowledge of Krypton to be responsible for the death of anyone on this planet, so you'll forgive me if I share the knowledge selectively. Aside from these conditions, I fully intend to cooperate with the world governments, and share any knowledge I find."

"That's a very nice sentiment," said the US President. "But how do we you mean it when you say you won't use the knowledge of that ship to make weapons? And how do we even know you're telling the truth when you say the ship belongs to you?"

"Why would this guy need weapons?" asked General Lanes. "The whole world saw him throw a Lexcorp battle robot into the sky like it was a football. He's already more powerful than anything we've got."

"Yes," said Superman. "I'm afraid I do have to confirm that. As for how you know I'm telling the truth, you don't have to take my word for it."

Suddenly everyone's attention turned to the buried ship as it hummed to life. After a few seconds, a voice boomed from the ship.

"Greetings," said the ship. "I am JLAI 13, the AI aboard this ship, and I can confirm that everything Kal-El says is completely true."

The silence that followed was ominous. For a moment Superman wasn't certain what was going to happen next. He didn't want to be at odds with the world leaders, but just for a moment he thought that maybe he wasn't going to get his way, until…

"You know, I wish my stuff announced that I owned it," said General Lane dryly.

That got chuckles from everyone, and helped lighten the mood. Suddenly Superman had a better feeling about all of this. After a longer discussion about the information Superman brought to the table, the world leaders agreed to Superman's proposal. They wouldn't oppose Superman taking possession of the ship, and he would share whatever knowledge he could.

The only other question Superman needed to ask was where he would keep the ship.


	37. Chapter 37

Superman: The Ark of Krypton

Chapter 37

by

Jason Richard

After the world conference Superman shook hands with a lot of people, mostly the scientists and the military commanders as the world leaders had attended via video conference, though he did exchange pleasantries with them as well. Most of the people he talked with were pleasant enough, but one person added something.

When he shook General Sam Lane's hand, the general whispered to him, "You know the world is only trusting you because it has no choice right? We have no idea how hurt you, so we're all taking a big sigh of relief that you're being so nice and friendly. I do hope you mean it when you say you're not our enemy, because if you do anything to hurt anyone on this world I promise I will find a way to take you down."

Superman just nodded, unable to blame him for that attitude.

"I hope I get the chance to prove I mean what I say," Superman whispered back.

General Lane nodded.

After these pleasantries Superman knew the next step was to figure out what could be done with the ship.

He flew up to it and began talking.

"JLAI 13," he said.

"Yes Kal-El?" said the AI.

"What would you estimate is the safest place to keep the arc?"

"I recommend the Arctic," said the AI. "Few would go looking for it, and the ice and snow would help block any signals meant to track this ship, terrestrial and extraterrestrial alike."

"Extraterrestrial?" asked Superman, curious.

"Yes," said the AI. "Earth scientists have been trying to use Kryptonian artifacts to find this ship for some time. With all those signals going out, even if you hadn't found the ship today, it's only a matter of time before something of alien origin comes looking for kryptonian technology."

"And I'm guessing not all of them will be friendly," said Superman. "Does this mean I might have to defend the planet from beings who have powers like mine?"

"Undoubtedly," said The AI. "I recommend learning as much about your powers as you can to prepare for this. In order to move to the artic, however, we will need to recharge the power cells."

Superman nodded, saying, "Tell me what to do."

…

Within the lower parts of the ship, Superman charged a blast of heat vision and let it loose, right into a power converter near the ship's engine, a massive orb shaped device that glowed with a green light. Within moments the ship powered up as all its system's hummed to life. The pens with the Kryptonian Wildlife closed up, just in time for the animals to wake up after their parasite induced coma, and the ship began to raise out of the ground.

Outside the ship the various tents and people within them had already backed away, knowing this ship was going to displace a lot of sand. News helicopters showed the entire world this alien spacecraft slowly rising up as sand flowed off it's ridges.

After a few minutes the ship was up in the air over a giant crater of sand, and then it was soaring away towards a secret destination. From the Daily Planet news chopper, Lois Lane watched and said, "Well, I know what everyone in the world with a computer or television is doing right now."

...

And so the ship, using jamming technology to erase its presence on radar and satellite, travelled to the ocean, then towards the North pole. It flew over all of the ice and snow until it reached the very center. Then it slowly let itself down and landed in the soft white substance, ready to make a permanent home.

From within the Ship Superman looked around at all the technology in the engine room and gave a sigh.

"So," he said. "We're here. I've got to get back now. Thing's to do in my other life."

"Understood," said the AI. "If you ever require anything, I am at your disposal."

"Thanks," said Superman. "But you know, I don't think I can keep calling you JLAI 13. I'd like to give you a name that...well...rolls of the tongue a little more. Something that reflects your IQ. But I can't think of anything right now."

"You may give me any designation you wish," said the AI. "This ship is yours now."

"I'm not sure I like thinking of you as property," said Superman, frowning. "I mean, I can talk to you like any other person. An emotionless, robotic person maybe, but a person nevertheless."

"Do not concern yourself Kal-El," said the AI. "Such things do not concern me. Keeping this ship running is the point of my existence. Without it, I would have nothing."

"I see," said Superman. "Well, I don't know if you actually appreciate it when someone says this, but thank you again. For everything."

"You're welcome Kal-El."

…

And So Superman flew home across deserts, oceans, forests and cities, helping a few people along the way. A few near misses with cars, a couple of petty thieves tied up, and one cat stuck up a tree. He finally made it to the little farm where he grew up, landing on the ground during the hour of twilight. He quickly changed into a t-shirt and jeans behind the barn and walked up to the front door like any normal person.

He didn't know what he was going to say to Ma and Pa Kent. He'd found out where he came from and why he was on Earth, and it was an amazing feeling. Just knowing about the people who gave birth to him and knowing he had the chance to learn more about them from the ship's AI was overwhelming. Not that Ma and Pa Kent were no longer important to him. Quite the opposite. Two parents who loved him had died, tragically, trying to make certain he had a future. He counted himself infinitely lucky to have been taken in my people who had loved him just as much.

And as he saw his mother and father, Martha and Jonathan Kent, sitting side by side on the front porch, he felt another overwhelming emotion.

As they stood up to greet him Clark Kent walked right up to them and embraced them both. They were a little surprised, but they hugged him right back.

"Hey," said Clark. "Thanks for always being there for me."

"Always," said Ma Kent.

"Whenever you need us," said Pa Kent.

…

"So this whole time you were from another world?" asked Pa Kent.

"Well," said Clark, sitting on the sofa drinking tear Ma Kent had made, "I don't know if I'd call Smallville Kansas another world but…"

That gave everyone a round of chuckles.

"But seriously," said Pa Kent, "The last time anything on my farm was tied to aliens some guy from one of those tabloids was looking for UFO's and little green men. It never occurred to me he might have been right."

"Jonathan!" cried Ma Kent in alarm.

Though Pa Kent backed away meekly, he replied, "I was just joking."

"It's okay Ma," said Clark. "I've pretty much accepted that I'm different. I mean if I wasn't I wouldn't be able to help people the way I do."

"I know Clark," said Ma. "I just know this must be a lot to take in."

"I mean," said Pa Kent. "I know it must be a lot to take in for you, I just don't feel any sense in pretending that everything is normal. But don't get me wrong. When I heard about what Jor-El and Laura did for Clark I knew that they'd be people I'd get along with. They loved him as much as we do. I'm never going to forget that they were an alien race, but that wouldn't stop me from shaking his hand if I ever got the chance to meet him."

Ma said, "Yes. I feel the same way. I just don't want to make light of this and make Clark uncomfortable."

"Really Ma," said Clark. "It's no big deal." he paused, taking another sip of tea, then added, "Say, I heard that I apparently called in sick at work, a call I don't remember making."

"Well," said Ma. "When the Daily Planet couldn't reach you they called us and we vouched for you."

"Thanks," said Clark. "Although, I don't know. A grown man who gets his parents to take care of him when he's sick?" Clark frowned, suddenly feeling a chill. "I get the feeling someone is not going to let me forget that."

And somewhere, at that very moment, Lois Lane was laughing.


	38. Chapter 38

Superman: The Ark of Krypton

Chapter 38

by

Jason Richard

The Parasite was kept in maximum security, a completely air tight room with a machine to provide him oxygen and a small decontamination chamber in the door to pass him food. Given the nature of his abilities he could not be allowed to have physical contact with any living thing whatsoever. In that steel room the Parasite, his purple skin and white veins covered in an orange jumpsuit, sat on the edge of his bed with his head in his hands, lamenting his loss of Superman's incredible power.

As a door outside his little chamber opened, he looked up and saw Lex Luthor approaching. Luthor stood in front of the glass, frowning. The businessman's displeasure cheered Parasite right up.

"Oh I'm sorry," said Parasite. "Did you ruin your day when I stole your smarts?"

"You've caused me a lot of trouble," said Luthor. "Just thinking of the sheer number of strings I had to pull to get you created, only for you to completely humiliate me...tell me, how is it that Star Labs get's the rights to examine you after your accident happened in their facility's?"

"I told them how inter gang's boss hired me," said Parasite. "Sabotaging their tech of course. Knowing what you're capable of, I'd rather they be the one's who look at me. Didn't mention your part in the sabotage though. I know nothing I say would ever put you in jail. Heck, all of this is so shrewd, maybe some of you rubbed off on me permanently."

"One can only hope," said Lex Luthor, frowning. "Lexcorp might not have access to you know, but I intend to change that. In the meantime, you might want to start getting on my good graces. Tell me, as someone who had Superman's mind and power, how can one capture him?"

Parasite laughed, "Seriously? You plan to take that guy in? The guy's been saving people left and right. Between that and his sob story about being the last of his kind you'd have to be crazy to go after a guy like that, even if you do want his power. Everyone who knows me already hates me, so I wasn't worried, but you have a reputation to maintain...as you would put it. People will bury you if you start going after national heroes."

"I'll deal with that when the time comes," said Luthor, creasing his brow in irritation. "I'll only ask you one more time. How can one defeat Superman?"

In truth the Parasite did remember the green crystal, and even caught Superman's thought that he stole that crystal from Lex Luthor himself, as Luthor had decided it was of no worth. He could feel that memory fading away like water pouring down a drain, but for now he knew it. However…

"Sure. I'll tell you," said Parasite. "But with a catch. You see I like what I've become. When I get the chance again I'll get all the power I could possibly want. Trouble is you didn't ask me if I wanted to be this way, and that kind of ticks me off, so all you get is a hint." he grinned mischievously and said, "Lex Luthor...you already had the chance to defeat Superman, but you threw it away."

Parasite continued to smirk, but only for a moment, as Lex Luthor seemed pleased by this information. Parasite then started to frown.

"You're not upset?" said Parasite. "Most guys I know want straight answers all the time."

"I'm not most guys," said Luthor. "Unlike you, I am the smartest person in the room, and I relish the chance to prove it. I'll solve your riddle, and then we'll see who'll get all the power he could possibly want."

And on that note Lex Luthor walked out. Parasite stared at him, feeling a little intimidated. It took all his willpower to feel annoyed and say a small, simple word of defiance.

"Jerk," he said, crossing his arms.

…

Clark Kent, finally over his "sick day," walked into the main office of the Daily Planet with a smile on his face, taking care to check that his glasses were on of course. With his super hearing he could hear the hustle and bustle of people moving about, the newspaper machines running, and Elvis Presley secretly being played in Perry White's office.

He'd only been there for a little while, but it was already starting to feel like a part of him.

"The prodigal son returns," said Lois from her desk, smirking. "Enjoy your day off?"

"Lois," said Clark, laughing in spite of himself. "Come on. You know I missing the biggest story of the decade because you're sick isn't fun." he really fought to stifle his laugh that time, knowing he **was** the story of the decade. "Are you really going to give me a hard time?"

Lois sighed in exasperation and said, "No. I guess even I'm not that cruel."

"You guess?" asked Clark, teasing.

"Okay that's enough," said Lois. "We've got work to do." and she got back to her desk.

"You know Lois," said Superman, giving her a sly grin, crossing his arms. "I find it interesting that you'd act this way at the thought of getting a big story to yourself, and away from me. I haven't been working here that long, and none of my articles have even made the front page yet. But despite that I sometimes I feel as if you're treating me like a rival Is it possible that, at some point, I impressed you?"

Lois smirked right back at him and said, "Well you know. Anything is...possible."

Clark waited for her to elaborate, but she just got back to work, and he knew she wasn't going to give him any more than that. With a sigh, he went back to work himself. Clark Kent didn't know what the future held, but between learning of his heritage and working here, he knew it was going to be interesting.

 **End of the First Story Arc.**

Superman: The Ark of Krypton will return next week with the beginning of a new story line.

I'd like to give a very special thanks to all the fans for their support.

Jason.


	39. Chapter 39

Superman: The Ark of Krypton

Chapter 39

by

Jason Richard

 **Twelve Months Later.**

On the Eight O'Clock evening news, and newspapers the next morning, it was reported that STAR Labs had a break in. Nothing physical was taken, but head scientist Dr. Hamilton reported that information had been downloaded off their computers. The digital thief covered his tracks well, unfortunately, but during the newscast one could see Dr. Hamilton rubbing his chin carefully. He couldn't be certain, but he suspected that he knew which piece of information the thief was after.

 **…**

Lex Luthor sat in his office, going over blueprints on his personal computer. He was scanning through every weapon his company had developed, but had never brought to market. This first attempt to crack Rudy Jones's riddle wasn't going very well, however. Could Lex Luthor really have thrown away something powerful enough to take on Superman? Not a single weapon he had previously dismissed seemed promising.

As he mused over this problem, someone entered his office without knocking. Since it clearly was not his assistant Mercy Graves, the one personwith whom he'd been forced to tolerate this sort of thing, a vein in Luthor's forehead began throbbing.

"As much as I respect my associate Mr. Mannheim's partnership," said Luthor irritably, still looking at his computer screen. "That does not mean his hit men can barge into my office whenever they please, Mr. Corben."

John Corben, Intergang's top hit man, was a tall, broad shouldered man who was normally seen with a cocky grin and guns hidden in every corner of his coat. He was especially cocky today, irritatingly so.

"Oh come on Mr. Luthor," said Corben, pulling a flash drive out of his coat, "You can't even make an exception for the guy who got you Superman's DNA?"

Lex Luthor looked up to see Corben holding a flash drive between his fingers. The business man grinned and said, "Well, I think I can make an exception...this time."

Corben handed Luthor the drive and said, "Found it on Star Labs main computer. I took the liberty of encrypting it and verifying its contents."

"And it's Superman's DNA?" asked Luthor eagerly.

"Some of it," said Corben admittedly, sitting down. "What they could get from the Parasite's...uh...flexible DNA structure. I'm not really a scientist, but from what I could gather it's mixed in with a bunch of other species."

"Really?" asked Luthor, rubbing his chin. "What I wouldn't give to see what Rudy found on that ship...oh well. I wish we could have gotten Superman's entire DNA, but I'm sure this will be a start. Mark my words, we'll find a way to replicate Superman's powers soon."

"I hope so," said Corben, crossing his arms and putting his feet on Luthor's desk. "Do you have any idea how hard it is for Intergang to conduct its business with that Super guy flying around?"

Luthor was only half listening, as a vein began throbbing in his forehead at the sight of Corben's feet on the table. "Mr. Corben…" he began warningly.

"Cause you know," said Corben. "Even with the machine's that dampen sounds he always hears something that sends him flying. We've had too many bank robberies and black market trades interrupted by that guy. If he keeps it up, well, you're going to have to find someone else to illegally peddle your weapons, cause Intergang will be sunk."

Lex Luthor put his hands out and pushed Corben's feet off his desk.

"I understand your predicament," said Luthor, perturbed. "But rest assured, I'm doing everything I can to deal with the problem. Patience, Mr. Corben. Superman has powers the likes of which no one on this planet has ever seen before, and he practically dropped out of the sky yesterday. It's going to take time, but I will solve this problem."

"I hope so," said Corben, shaking his head. "Cause frankly, given what we've seen from Superman, I'm not certain Bruno's idea to solve the problem is going to help for long."

 **…**

Bruno Mannheim paced back and forth within the alley, surrounded by armed guards. He was supposed to sell a package of Lexcorp weapons to a gang from Gotham city, but the customers hadn't shown up. Had they gotten cold feet? No surprise really, what with Superman busting every illegal sale that went down. How had he been doing it? Superman had admitted that he found crime with super hearing, but was his hearing really so powerful that not even Lexcorp sound dampening devices could stop him?

Well, he was about to find out, as Superman landed right next to Mannheim, making him jump and then freeze like a deer in the headlights.

"So," said Superman, a confident grin adorning his face as he crossed his arms. "You're Bruno Mannheim. I would be polite and say it's nice to meet you, but I'd be lying. Kind of a lose lose situation for my manners really."

"Now now," said Mannheim, taking an uncertain step back as his guards turned their guns on Superman with all the confidence of a mouse standing up to a lion. "Don't do anything hasty. I've got men watching this location in three separate buildings. Anything happens to me, and they all start making calls to men with hostages, each in a different location scattered around the city."

Mannheim didn't need to elaborate any further. Superman understood what he meant. As superman frowned, Mannheim straightened his collar and began to feel a little more confident. Obviously without knowing where the hostages were there was no way for even Superman to save them all, even with his incredible speed. He might be able to disable the men watching, but that was a shot in the dark, and of course Mannheim had safeguards in place. If the men watching didn't report in every few minutes, the men guarding the hostages would assume the worst.

Actually Superman did have a way to find them. He didn't just have super hearing after all. With his telescoping X-Ray vision he could scan the area to find them, but that would take time. He had to narrow it down, but fortunately he had a way to do that.

The sound dampening devices Intergang used were annoying, but if Superman listened carefully enough he could hear dead zones where no sound came. An object he was hearing would suddenly go silent only to sound again, or even the wind, if it was blowing, would have a silent zone. He was difficult hearing such subtle cues with all the things he could hear at once, but Superman was getting better at it. This is why he'd been able to stop several of Interchange deals when they got started.

He could use this method, as well as his X-Ray vision, to search for any hostages. In the meantime, he needed to keep Mannheim busy.

"That's very clever Mannheim," said Superman. "But you made one mistake."

Mannheim frowned nervously, "What's that?"

"You let me hear your voice," said Superman. "I'd only seen pictures or footage of you from afar before today, but now that I know what you're voice sounds like, everything has changed. I'll be listening for that voice, and you'd better hide behind your sound dampening devices every second of every minute of every day, because if you so much as lean outside the field to ask someone for salt at the dinner table, I'll know where you are and come for you. How angry I am when that happens depends entirely on how many people you hurt."

And as Superman started listing for dead zones within the city, Bruno Mannheim hesitated, feeling nervous as he wondered just how true Superman's words were.

 **….**

 **...**

I feel like I've been forgetting to wish people good holidays, so I figure I'd better start now.

Happy Independence Day everyone.

And if any of you don't live in the United States I wish you a happy day too.

Jason.


	40. Chapter 40

Superman: The Ark of Krypton

Chapter 40

by

Jason Richard

As Bruno Mannheim looked away, contemplating Superman's warning, Superman took a moment to quickly scan his immediate surroundings with x-ray vision. He found three people in buildings that had a view of the alley, each with a communicator at the ready, and Superman though it safe to assume that there were three groups of hostages.

Before he could look for them, however, Mannheim looked right back at Superman and made a threat.

"Oh yeah?" said the gangster in a suit. "Well, I'll just have to keep hostages on hand at all times, won't I? You may be the most powerful man in the world, but all that power won't do you any good if you can't afford you use it. Isn't that right?"

As he listened to Mannheim Superman was still searching for zones of silence that typically came with Intergang's sound dampening devices. He found several, but he would need to distract Mannheim again before he started looking at them.

"Maybe you will," said Superman. "But how do you think Lex Luthor is going to feel about kidnappings?"

"What's he got to do with me?" asked Mannheim smugly.

"I might not have solid proof," said Superman. "But I know whenever Lexcorp weapons make it into the black market it's always intergang that sells them, so if Lex Luthor is involved with any criminal organization, it's you. Now bank robberies and weapon sales are one thing, but if you keep abducting random people off the street, sooner or later someone is going to see or hear something that connects you to Luthor, and then escape. One slip up, one mistake, and the police have evidence against your associate. What do you think that man is going to do if that happens?"

Mannheim felt himself beginning to sweat. Superman had a point. As Mannheim looked down nervously, Superman took a look around in the blink of an eye, getting a look at all the silent zones. He found three separate hotel rooms with people tied up and guards watching them, the same number as people watching that alley. Now he had to confirm that these were really all the hostages.

"But it doesn't matter," said Superman. "Because you're going to jail today."

"Really," said Mannheim, trying to sound confident. "You know where the hostages are?"

Superman figured he'd need to play this carefully. He'd listen for Mannheim's heartbeat, which at the moment was beating quickly from stress

"I know where both groups of hostages are," said Superman.

Mannheim's heartbeat slowed. Clearly if Superman didn't know about one group of hostages, Mannheim could surprise him with it. It was time to step things up.

"One in Motel 70 to the north, and the other is in Lincoln Lodge to the east," said Superman.

Mannheim got a little more nervous, and his heartbeat sped up just a little. Both those locations were correct it seemed. Now that final piece of the puzzle was ready. If he revealed the last location and Mannheim panicked, then that would be it. If he remained calm, then there would be at least one other group of hostages.

"Oh, one more thing," said Superman, his eyes narrowing. "There is one other group of hostages, in the Twilight Inn and Suites southwest of here."

Though Mannheim himself tried to blank his expression, his heart slowly sped up until it was pounding. This was it, Superman thought. He had Mannheim right where he wanted him.

As quickly as possible Superman used a narrow beam of heat vision to fry any cell phones or communications devices on Mannheim and his car, making Mannheim step back and scream. Next Superman flew into the air, spinning around and using precise blasts of his laser eyes to destroy the communication devices of the men watching that alley before they could make their calls. When them out of the way Superman flew at high speed to the first group of hostages.

He quickly burst through the window, untied the hostages, and tied up the men holding him. Their guns he crushed between his fingers before he flew at blinding speed to the other two locations to repeat the process. Soon all three locations had untied hostages, tied up thugs, and crushed guns.

Once all the hostages were safe Superman flew back to Mannheim, who had just barely had time to get into his care before Superman landed in front of it.

The Driver, who hadn't managed to even put his foot on the gas pedal, turned around and said, "Well boss? What now?"

Mannheim took one look at Superman, sighed, and said, "Just drive me to the police station."

Outside, Superman gave an approving nod.


	41. Chapter 41

Superman: The Ark of Krypton

Chapter 41

by

Jason Richard

The news ran the next day:

Mannheim Arrests Himself?

Yesterday Superman was seen flying into a narrow alley, only to fly out following a limousine. The expensive vehicle surprisingly drove right to the police station, and no other than the notorious leader of Intergang, Bruno Mannheim, stepped out and turned himself in to the authorities. It seemed Mannheim couldn't handle Metropolis's Man of Steel.

When asked about it, Inspector Henderson, who previously spearheaded the police effort to capture Mannheim, said, "You know it's a bit of a bummer that this Superman did in a few months what we've been trying to do for a few years, but your job is to make sure people are safe, not stroke our egos. I'm relieved this scumbag is off the streets."

It seems everyone is happy Superman is patrolling our fair city.

…

Lois Lane stormed into Perry White's office, an angry scowl on her face. White was working on some paperwork, completely absorbed in it. He didn't even look up as Lois put her hands on his desk.

"Problem Lane?" said Perry White.

"Why am I not working the Luthor beat?" asked Lois. "Don't get me wrong, covering Superman has been incredible. Mannheim driving himself to jail? That's amazing! But I've been trying to catch Luthor in the act for too long to just stop."

"And businessmen secretly funding terrorists is hot news," said White, "That's why I normally don't get in the way of your little crusades. But Superman is the hottest news right now, and until the public loses interest in him you will continue to cover him. Besides, isn't he kind of making you obsolete? The guy just busted the leader of Intergang, and if he really was working with Lex Luthor as most of us suspect, he just did more to cripple Luthor than you or the cops ever will."

She had to admit he had a point. If Superman kept doing what he was doing Lex Luthor wouldn't be able to afford his illegal activities. Maybe she should follow the lead of the Inspector she interviewed, be glad that the job was getting done and forget about her bruised ego.

Then she thought, nah...that's not my style.

"This isn't over," she said, pointing as she walked out. "I'll cover Superman for now, but don't think for a second that I'm just forgetting about Lexcorp."

"You push that I could fire you," said Perry White.

"I'd have to really mess up," said Lois, putting her hand on the office doorknob, "I know you need me. Also, if you do fire me, I'll tell everyone you secretly listen to Elvis during work hours."

Perry White looked like he'd been slapped in the face.

"Don't be so surprised," said Lois, smirking. "It's my job to find out things people don't want me to know. And you know, if people knew this it would be pretty hard to stop them indulging their own hobbies at work. I hear Jimmy has a remote control drone he takes to the park. Wouldn't that be fun to see?"

And still smirking she left. Perry White just shook his head and said to no one in particular, "Great Caesar's ghost! That woman..."

…

Within the Ark of Krypton, hidden beneath ice and snow in the arctic, Clark, dressed as Superman, took some time to review Kryptonian history. He wanted to know everything there was to know about the planet of his origin. The beginning of this history was quite fascinating.

The viewing screen in the ship's archives room showed images of men and women in brightly colored, yet surprisingly primitive, clothes flying through the sky and into space. There was a large variety of people as well. People with light skin, dark skin, large frames, small frames, and many more. JLAI 13 narrated as the images flew by.

"Eons ago, the Kryptonians did have powers like you," said the AI. "In fact they wielded these powers instead of any form of technology, remaining a primitive, tribal society for much of their history. Those who had learned to store enough solar energy could survive in outer space for months holding a single breath of air, though often they could travel fast enough so that a few hours was all they needed between planets. As you can imagine technology was rather obsolete for them."

The images then showed Kryptonians discovering alien species of all shapes and sizes, which appendages of all kinds, on planets with many different colors, strange vegetation, and animals.

"When they encountered other species," said the AI. "They discovered how powerful they were compared to them, and the native reactions to this power shapes Kryptonian culture for generations. Many of these alien species saw the Kryptonians power as a sign of divinity, and worshiped them as gods. Many Kryptonians, in reaction to this, decided they should assume this mantle. A few species, however, had similar abilities and fought them. Some species with advanced technology fought them, but that proved ineffective."

The screen showed some aliens bowing down to Kryptonians. A few aliens were shown fighting them with equal strength, but those images were brief, and quickly gave way to images of shrines and temples being dedicated to Kryptonians, with only a handful of those powerful individuals showing any objection. A few species fought back with technology, lasers and spaceships, but the Kryptonians destroyed them easily.

"The few species that did fight back did not stop many Kryptonian tribes from advancing through the galaxy. A few Kryptonians did object, but at the time they were a minority. For almost a century it seemed the Kryptonians, drunk on their own power, would conquer the galaxy, but they were stopped."

The images then showed kryptonians clashing with a variety of aliens in green garb armed with rings that generated constructs of energy that could be any shape...usually weapons of any kind.

"The Green Lantern Corps, an ancient peacekeeping order made of species from all over the galaxy, was able to halt their advance. Their technology didn't quite put them in the same league of the Kryptonians, but they had slightly superior numbers."

The Kryptonians were then seen returning through space to their home planet. Then images showed Kryptonians flying, only to fall from the sky unexpectedly, and this gave way to a shot of the sun, slowly turning from yellow to red.

"They eventually retreated, planning their conquest again, but before they were ready something began to happen. The yellow sun got older, and began to become a red star, which does not provide Kryptonians with the same energy as a yellow sun. As this happened the Kryptonians started to lose their powers."

Images showed Kryptonians building devices and mixing chemicals.

"While Kryptonians had been aware of science, they hadn't felt it necessary, until they saw it as a means to discover why their powers were failing them.

The images showed an area with primitive huts growing more and more sophisticated buildings until a futuristic city showed.

"By the time it was discovered their powers came from their yellow sun, however, generations had passed, and the power that had shaped them before was forgotten. The Kryptonians were now thoroughly invested in their scientific advances, and apart from a few criminal groups no one sought that power again. The tribes that had once attempted to take control over the galaxy eventually became the houses that made of the ruling council, including yours, the house of El. What was a powerful, warlike society morphed into a scholarly, and peaceful society."

As Clark listened to the story, he felt both amazed and humbled. He realized that he could just as easily have been corrupted by his power if he hadn't been given a good upbringing by responsible parents. If he had no guidance on how to live with people less fortunate than him, like the ancient Kryptonians, he might have become like them. Or perhaps, if he'd been sent to a planet with a red sun, he wouldn't be any different. He'd be just an ordinary face in the crown, nothing special.

Even with the power he had, circumstances beyond his control could have shaped him into an entirely different person. It was a humbling thought.

"Thank you JLAI 13. Learning this history has been...amazing," said Clark, before frowning and rubbing his chin. "I'm still trying to think of a more practical name for you. What did Jor-El call you? Did he just use his designation?

"Not normally," said the AI. "He did refer to me with a Kryptonian term that has no direct translation, meaning "he of the large mind.""

"Well I'll think of something," said Clark. "Anyway, thank you for showing me this."

"As always Kal-El," said the AI. "That is my function, but you are welcome all the same."


	42. Chapter 42

Superman: The Ark of Krypton

Chapter 42

by

Jason Richard

"Do you really think you can do it?" asked Mercy skeptically. "Can you really clone Superman from information stolen off a computer?"

In Lex Luthor's personal lab he typed at a computer, controlling a large machine that shot energy at a vial of something red.

"Not just from that," said Luthor, his brow creasing in concentration. "I haven't developed the technology to create living cells from scratch...yet. No...in that vial is a sample of Rudy Jones's mutated blood, taken after you captured him."

"You think you can clone Superman's DNA?" she asked. "By changing Rudy Jones' more malleable DNA into it?"

"Very astute," said Luthor, impressed. "Yes. If I can just get a single cell to stabilize permanently...Just a little bit more and...there."

The machine finished, then injected a needle into the vial, taking a small sample.

"With that small sample of cells," said Luthor, grinning proudly. "We're well on our way to making Superman's powers our own."

"Sounds fun," said Mercy, cracking her knuckles. "I've always wanted to fly...and to throw that creep Mannheim through a wall for staring at me so much."

"After his recent failure," said Luthor irritably. "I wouldn't begrudge you that."

…

The first thing it remembered was feeling cold, the first thing it heard was thrumming, humming, and beeping, and the first thing it saw when it opened its eyes was it's own hands. They were pale white, small and rounded, and floating, like the rest of him, in a clear liquid.

As it looked around, it saw some sort of clear flat surface holding it and the liquid inside, while outside he saw metal and blinking lights, and two other creatures. One with long hair and a scary face, and the other with no hair and a pleased face...that was somehow skill scary.

"What a bizarre looking creature," said the long haired one in disgust.

"Now now," said the bald one, "Be nice." He walked up to the clear flat thing and tapped on it. It spoke, but the thing within the clear stuff didn't understand what he said.

"Hello little one," said Lex Luthor, "There's a lot I hope to learn from you." and he gave a deep chuckle.

…

"Let's see," said Lois, going over the charts. "No bank robberies, no shootouts with police, no mob mosses making trouble, crime's pretty much at an all time low. I know White's been on my case about this, I don't think I can work on the Superman story much longer."

"Really?" said Clark in his suit, typing at his computer. "I think Perry white is going to disagree. I mean just how quickly can alien landing on Earth to become its protector become passé?"

"Not that quickly yet," said Lois, shaking her head. "But he inevitably will if he doesn't stop something more exciting than a car crash."

"Stopping a tragedy doesn't have to be exciting," said Clark.

"I never said it did," said Lois. "Stopping tragedies is a good deed, no one's debating that, but good deeds don't sell newspapers. The Mannheim capture is going to be the last big superman related news we see for a while. Soon we'll be taking superman for granted just like all the charities in Metropolis."

"Miss Lane," said Clark. "I really hope I don't become as cynical as you."

"Then switch careers," said Lois. "If you can't handle talking about the darker side of Metropolis I'm sure our fair city could use more schoolteachers."

Clark couldn't help but smirk, "I don't know. I may have seen too much already."

Somehow Lois interpreted that to mean something else, and said, "You've got something on Lexcorp, don't you?"

"Maybe..." said Clark. In fact he did suspect that Lexcorp was experimenting with cloning, though he couldn't say why.

"Yeah..." said Lois with certainty. "You've got something. I can tell. You know...sometimes I wonder if somehow you're cheating to get your information."

Clark had, indeed, used his powers to get information for his articles, but ironically this time was different. He'd figured it out from classic investigative journalism. He'd staked out at Lexcorp seeing what trucks came in, examined a few public documents, and even managed to get his hands on some documents from the docks, finding what kind of equipment Lexcorp was shipping from overseas. He'd gotten all the confirmation he needed and no powers necessary.

Okay, maybe he had used his X-Ray vision to see inside the trucks, but that only confirmed what he already suspected.

"I wouldn't dream of cheating at anything," said Clark. "I wouldn't give you the satisfaction of the moral high ground. Besides, what would qualify as cheating on this job anyway?"

"I don't know," said Lois, frowning. "But there's gotta be some explanation for how you're doing so well this early in your career."

"Aside from me being just that good?" said Clark, smirking.

"Oh anything but that," said Lois, obviously teasing him.

Clark had to admit he was enjoying this rivalry the two of them were developing. It gave him a little extra incentive to perform well on the job. Of course if Lois ever did discover he was Superman and could use his super senses to, as she put it, cheat, he might never hear the end of it. For the sake of a fair competition, Clark figured that maybe he should stop using those powers to be good at his job, and only use them to listen for someone in trouble.

Wow, he thought, that's not going to be easy.


	43. Chapter 43

Superman: The Ark of Krypton

Chapter 43

by

Jason Richard

The clone stood in the middle of the room, looking around curiously at all the machines, vials, and other lab equipment around him. He had been given simple white clothes which blended in with his pale, white, inhumanly smooth skin. He had messy, unkempt black hair, and eyes with just whites and the black point, no other color surrounding the black.

Other than these he looked exactly like Superman.

The machines surrounding the clone scanned him thoroughly. He had no comprehension of what they were doing or the sounds they made, he just watched with fascination as beams of light danced over him.

And from a control room, observing him, Lex Luthor looked over the readings from his scans.

The information Luthor was getting made him ecstatic. True, this wasn't a perfect clone as it probably had Rudy Jones DNA mixed in, as well as whatever other species Rudy Jones had stolen powers from, but it was still enough. This clone was powerful, and soon it's secrets would be unlocked.

Of course Luthor had a fail safe in case the clone turned against him. While it was mostly alien DNA, it had enough of Rudy's mutant DNA left that Luthor would be able to rewrite the clone's DNA just once with the right application of energy and a few cells thrown in. If the clone ever became a problem he could effectively turn it human...a mutated human with pasty white skin maybe...but just as harmless.

For now, though, the Clone exhibited a childlike personality and followed simple hand gestures. As Luthor looked over his readings he couldn't help but look at the clone, see it grinning stupidly at all the bright lights around it, and feel a shred of confidence. If he could create a creature as powerful as this and learn to control it, he could do anything.

Soon Mercy walked into the lab as Luthor looked down at his console. She handed him some paperwork nonchalantly.

"Here," she said. "You need to sign this, this, and…"

Something bumped the glass, making them both jump. They looked up to see that the clone had flown up from the observation chamber and put his hand on the glass. He looked at Mercy as if she was the most fascinating thing he'd ever seen.

"Hello pretty lady," said the Clone, grinning childishly.

Luthor and Mercy looked at the Clone curiously now.

"When did you teach it to speak?" asked Mercy.

" I didn't," said Luthor, rubbing his chin. "Hello...Superman?"

"Yeeeees?" the clone replied as if it was natural.

"It has memories?" said Luthor in amazement. "That shouldn't even be possible. Unless one of the creatures its DNA is responsible. Amazing. The possibilities this presents us…"

"Or the opportunities?" asked Mercy, smirking.

"Oh how well you know me," said Luthor, chuckling.

…

 **A few days later.**

Lois slipped away from her desk with a few files in her arms. For the call she wanted to make needed to be in private. Technically she was still assigned to covering Superman stories, but Even Perry white had to admit that the stories were getting less and less exciting with crime getting so low. It seemed people were even driving more carefully with less accidents. Soon there wouldn't be any Superman related stories worth reading about, and Lois wasn't going to wait for that to happen.

In the corner she made her call to a whistleblower at Lexcorp.

And from his desk, using his Super hearing, Clark heard every word.

"So," said Lois quietly, "What have you got?"

"Oh," said the man on the other end. "Lexcorp is definitely experimenting with cloning. Don't know why that's such a big deal though."

"Everything Lexcorp does is a big deal," said Lois, looking over the files she had. "This especially. Lexcorp declared cloning a dead end three years ago. No practical applications for it. If he's back into it, it means something has changed...though as to what…" she thought for a few moments but nothing clicked, so she said, "Alright, thanks. If you find anything else, keep me posted."

"Sure thing," said the whistleblower before hanging up.

As Clark listened from his desk he hadn't really learned anything he didn't' already know, so he forgot about it. Truth be told he was just as frustrated with his assignment as Lois was with hers. Let her have Lexcorp, he thought. He'd rather investigate rumors of other costumed heroes popping up in the world, also with strange powers. A red blur that could move at the speed of light, a woman with a sword, shield, and glowing lasso, and there were even rumors of a bat monster terrorizing Gotham City mob bosses. He had a feeling if he got on top of this story it would be his ticket to the front page for the first time.

Besides, what could Lex Luthor be doing with cloning anyway?

…

"Tell me again," said Lex Luthor, visibly irritated. "Where is your ship?"

"North," said the Clone of Superman, grinning excitedly.

Lex had been questioning the clone in a dark, windowless room for a few days now, and had gotten nothing substantial out of him. The Clone's memories seemed disjointed at best and absent at worst.

"North of where?" asked Luthor.

The clone thought really hard for a few seconds, then said, just as excited, "North!"

"Where is your base of operations?" said Lex, crossing his arms. "Where do you sleep?"

"At home," said the Clone, proud of himself for some reason.

"And where is that?" asked Luthor.

The clone scratched his head and stared at the ceiling. Lex Luthor was just about to give up and just dissect the thing already. There was no chance of restoring any substantial memories as the clone even having memories was probably a fluke to begin with. It was at this point he realized this was a dead end.

But where one door closed another opened, for at that moment the Clone, who had superman's hearing, found the voice of Lois Lane in that very building. Despite his incomplete memories he remembered that voice. He grinned stupidly once again and sought out the voice.

Now the clone had been surprisingly cooperative so far, following directions and doings what he was told, so Lex Luthor was very surprised when he turned away for just one second only to hear a crashing sound make him jump. When he looked back the Clone had already busted a hole through the floor flying down.

And within moments the whistleblower who had been speaking to Lois Lane on the phone got a nasty surprise. The moment he put the phone down something crashed through the ceiling and startled him. He looked around to see the clone with a bewildered look on his voice.

"I heard Lois," said the Clone. "Where Lois?"


	44. Chapter 44

Superman: The Ark of Krypton

Chapter 44

by

Jason Richard

The whistleblower who had been on the phone with Lois Lane was a short, dark haired man in a lab coat. He was also an employee of Lexcorp. He stared at the white skinned clone of Superman in complete shock. He had no idea what was going on, apart from the fact that he now knew why Luthor had invested in cloning tech. At the moment, though, his mind was racing to figure out what to say to this clone.

"Where Lois?" asked the Clone again, his head tipped to the side curiously.

"Um..I...uh…" the whistleblower stammered, but he didn't find anything to say before Lex Luthor himself rushed into the room. Luthor paused, looked back and forth between the clone and his employee, and motioned for the clone to follow him.

"Alright," said Luthor. "Follow me."

"But I hear Lois," said the Clone.

Luthor frowned and gave his employee a very displeased look. Of course Luthor didn't know the man was a whistleblower, but that was one of the many possibilities that ran through Luthor's mind. The employee didn't need Luthor to tell him that he'd have to explain himself quick.

"Oh wasn't speaking to Lois Lane," he said, putting his mouse on a nearby computer and bringing his browser up. It showed a video of a Lexcorp press conference where Lois could be seen asking questions, and one angle even managed to capture her face.

"I was...uh..." he said, telling part of the truth. "Well I was interviewed by miss Lane once about my work with solar panels and...well...I was watching footage of her to...to try and...work of the nerve to ask her out."

Lex Luthor continued to glare at him for a few seconds, before relaxing.

"I see," said Luthor. "Good luck with that. You'll need it Mr...uh..." he checked the man's nametag and said. "Lytener."

"Thank you sir," said the employee, Mr. Lytener. "Um...I'm sorry but...what's with the big bizarro looking guy who just crashed through the roof?"

A hint of Lex Luthor's glare returned and he said, "What big bizarro looking guy?"

It took Mr. Lytener a second to catch on before he replied, "Right. I didn't see anything. An accident with a laser is what put a hole in the ceiling."

"Glad to hear it," and he turned to the clone and said, "Come along...bizarro."

"But I'm Superman," said the Clone, unable to comprehend anything that was going on, though it followed Lex Luthor anyway. Meanwhile Mr. Lytener could feel his heart pounding as he took a deep breath. That was close. Way too close.

…

That evening Clark took another visit to the Ark of Krypton in the North Pole to learn about another chapter in Kryptonian history. Specifically the heritage of the House of El, and how it tied into the history of Krypton that he had learned before. He would also learn of it's relation to other houses, but he was mostly interested in learning more about his birth parents, Jor-El and Lara.

…

Meanwhile, back in the Lexcorp facilities, the clone of Clark, AKA Superman, began dreaming of two lives it didn't fully understand. One was on a planet far far away, and the other was in a farmhouse not so far away. It didn't understand why, but it too was learning of the past...a past that only seemed to be its own.

…

Within the Ark, Clark learned that the house of El wasn't entirely on either side during the Kryptonian invasions centuries ago. Some were among the peace loving minority, and some were among the tyrants who set themselves up as gods. It got a little tedious hearing about various names he probably wasn't going to remember any time soon, but it did give him context concerning a name he was interested in. Jor-El.

The ship's AI did have a few recordings of Jor-El working at a kryptonian university, in strange rooms with technology Clark didn't' fully understand. As he saw these the AI explained much of Jor-El's life there.

"When Jor-El joined the science academy," said the AI. "It was about the time that Kryptonians had forgotten what their power was like. Jor-El himself was the third generation to grow up with no such abilities, and while he did enter projects to discover where their power went, he only did so because it was expected of all Kryptonian scientists. By the time he and other scientists discovered the secret Jor-El wasn't certain if he even wanted to use it. Here is some footage showing what attitudes were like at the time."

Clark watched, eager to learn anything he could about his birth parents.

The image showed Jor-El, as well as Kal-El's mother Lara, in a room filled with strange machines. They stood at control consoles and seemed to be performing some kind of experiments as the machine mixed together balls of liquid suspended in some sort of zero gravity field.

"So you've really discovered it?" asked Lara excitedly. "Where the power of our ancestors came from?"

"We have," said Jor-El passively. "Though I'm not allowed to share any details yet."

"Oh that's so mean!" she said, looking like she might start jumping up and down. "I mean it was starting to feel like a legend or a myth, but now we know it's real. It's amazing."

"I suppose," said Jor-El.

Lara gave him a quizzical look and asked, "Is everything alright?"

Jor-El sighed and said, "Everyone's making a such a fuss about it. So what if our team found the secret? Does that mean our current way of life has to change? I've tried to imagine going back to the way our history says we live and...I don't know, I kind of prefer things as they are."

"I suppose that's fair," conceded Lara, before getting really excited again. "But haven't you ever wondered what it would be like? Think about it. To fly with no ship or vehicle, even through space. To be able to go up, look down, and have nothing between you and the view below but air and be perfectly safe. Not to mention the strength, the speed, and everything else."

"I won't lie," Jor-El admitted. "I'm curious, but in a way my curiosity is my entire reason for being apprehensive about this. Think about it. If we really do go back to the old ways, will we continue to study science? Our species only took it up because our powers were lost, but...honestly...I love it. I love discovering new things about our universe and learning the intricacies of how our world works. If we really did abandon it in favor of that power, don't think you'd miss it?"

The question surprised Lara, "I've never thought about it like that." she looked up and rubbed her chin. "Well...I definitely would miss it...but there's no reason we'd have to abandon scientific study just because we got our old powers back. Is there?"

"I suppose not," said Jor-El. "Just the way everyone reacts to the news...well perhaps I'm being paranoid."

"Tell you what," said Lara. "No matter what happens, I'll continue to study science with you, no matter what other Kryptonians decide to do."

"That would be nice," Jor-El.

They smiled at each other pleasantly then got back to work, and the screen faded. As Clark watched, he felt content. He was learning more and more about his place of origin every day.

As well as more and more about his birth parents.

…

The Lexcorp clone couldn't make sense of the dreams it had. It had a few flashes of Krypton, but they were brief. The memories that stood out the most were memories of a farm, doing chores, learning how his powers worked, and most importantly the man and woman who took care of him.

Ma and Pa.

With a grin the Clone got up out of the bed of it's room...a plain room with white walls, and flew out, crashing a hole in the roof into it was outside. It then flew to its 'home.' the kent farm.

Meanwhile, in his office, Lex Luthor heard a crashing sound. He didn't need to see it to know what it was.

"Clone superman," he said to no one in particular, rubbing his temples. "This is either going to lead to my greatest achievement, or be the biggest mistake of my life."


	45. Chapter 45

Superman: The Ark of Krypton

Chapter 45

by

Jason Richard

"By the way sir," said the AI just as Clark was about to fly out of the Ark's control room. "I compiled the information you requested."

"Oh right," said Clark, flying back down to the chair in that control room. "I forgot."

They were of course referring to the scientific knowledge that Superman had agreed to share with the world. Clark had requested Krypton's medical science first, thinking that would be the safest place to start. Since the AI could connect to Earth's internet it was able to cross reference Kryptonian medical science with human biology.

The screen in front of him showed some readings Clark didn't understand, and then a small box on the nearby console opened to reveal...a regular Earth CD.

As Clark took it he said, "I still find it strange that you were able to connect earth technology to these systems."

"It was quite simple actually," said the AI. "Designing the physical apparatus was easy. Decoding the information so Earth computers could understand it was the real challenge, but it was…" suddenly the AI paused for a moment before saying, "Pardon me sir, but you wished me to inform you of any disturbances back in metropolis. The police have reported something flying through the sky...something that clearly isn't' you."

Clark put the disk away quickly and said, "Thanks. I'll be back soon." And he flew out, hoping that whatever was back in metropolis wasn't dangerous.

…

Martha Kent was busy minding her own business, washing dishes, when something crashed through the roof, bringing rubble with it. In a fright Martha turned around to see Lexcorp clone of Superman standing in the middle of the kitchen, giving her a bin grin and opening his arms wide as if to hug her.

"Ma!" cried the Clone.

In her shock Martha Kent dropped the plate she was holding, letting it shatter on the floor. Then she called out, "Jonathan!"

Jonathan Kent rushed into the kitchen from outside covered in engine grease from fixing the tractor, when he stopped short and saw the clone. The clone, of course, gave Jonathan a big grin as well.

"Pa!" said the Clone

"Clark?" asked Jonathan in disbelief. 'Martha, what happened to him?"

"I don't know," said Martha, completely flustered. "He just crashed through the roof looking like this?"

The clone didn't understand why they were so shocked. "Looking like what Ma?"

Jonathan and Martha Kent hesitated to answer. It was Jonathan who broke the silence.

"Son, you look...different," he said.

The clone, confused, went to a nearby mirror and checked his reflection. It hadn't had any mirrors at the lexcorp facility, so this was the first time it saw itself, and the first time it realized it didn't' look like it was supposed to.

"What wrong with me?" it asked mournfully.

"Jonathan, do you think he's sick or something?" asked Martha, suddenly getting panicked. "Something must be wrong with his brain too! He didn't even noticed he looked like this."

"Martha I don't know," said Jonathan, feeling a little panick himself. "I don't know what to do about this."

"Well," said Martha, thinking. "He's got that ship with that computer in it? Maybe that can...I don't know, diagnose him or something?"

"We've not way to contact it," said Jonathan.

The next sound they heard was the clone beginning to cry. They could tell it was getting scared.

"Okay dear," said Martha, putting her hands on the clone's shoulders to calm him down. "We'll figure out what this is. In the meantime, why don't I cook you something. Alright?"

It wiped the tears from its face and said, "Okay Ma."

As the scene inside the farmhouse calmed down, outside the house Superman watched the scene unfold with a mixture of confusion and anger. According to the Ark's AI the disturbance had originated from Lexcorp, but the clone had been travelling too fast for human technology to track it. The AI was able to pinpoint this path here. Seeing his family talk with this clone, thinking it was him, made him nervous, but if he just rushed in there he didn't know how the clone would react. He'd have to handle this situation delicately.

…

As Martha made what she thought was her son a decent meal, Jonathan Kent went to get "Clark" a decent change of clothes. In the bedroom he temporarily picked up the cell-phone of the dresser, musing that he wished he knew the AI's number, when he got a text.

From Clark.

He did a double take when he saw it. It said, "That's not me."

Jonathan carefully went to the door and opened it just a little, peeking through at Martha and the clone. He then turned back to phone and texted back, "Where are you?"

"Outside, watching," Clark texted back. "Let's keep this to text in case my doppelganger has super hearing."

"I figured," Jonathan texted, wiping some sweat from his forehead. "What do you want me to do?"

"Just be careful," Clark Texted. "I have reason to believe it came from Lexcorp, but it doesn't look dangerous. Do try to tell Ma, but be careful about it."

"You got it," texted Jonathan, before peeking out the door again. It was true. The clone did seem harmless, and even enjoyed the motherly affection Martha mistakenly gave it. Still, Jonathan didn't like this turn of events. Not one bit.


	46. Chapter 46

Superman: The Ark of Krypton

Chapter 46

by

Jason Richard

Lex Luthor fumed as he read the scans from his company's satellites. Within his office, typing furiously at his computer, he was trying to find the clone's location. He had the system for removing the clone's power ready to go, now he just needed to find it, but it had travelled too fast for anything earthly to track it.

He paused for a moment, taking a deep sigh. He hadn't made a mistake this big in a long time. He'd been too eager to try and discover the power he so coveted. Now he was working desperately to contain his mistake.

"Where are you?" Luthor asked himself.

…

"My old teddy bear!" said the Clone excitedly, picking up the little old teddy bear excitedly.

"Yes Clark," said Martha Kent. "This was your old room."

The clone looked around happily, starting to remember everything. Baseball and football posters, a shelf full of adventure books, a few toys he'd grown out of, and the rickety farmhouse surrounding surrounding these boyish accessories.

"Why not I remember this before?" asked the Clone, his eyes downcast.

"I'm sure everything will come back to you in time," said Martha kindly, though secretly she was worried. What if Clark didn't recover from...whatever this was? What if his work called asking for him? What if…

She shook her head, she couldn't be worried. For Clark's sake she had to be calm.

"Martha," said Jonathan, poking his head in the room. "Can we talk for a moment."

"Sure Jonathan," said Martha. "Clark, you go ahead and reacquaint yourself with your room and I'll be right back, okay?"

"Okay," said the Clone, grinning.

Jonathan led martha outside and grab two pens and some paper. Back when the real Clark as a kid they had to talk to each other like this when they realized their son could hear them from any room. Specifically when they were talking about things that Clark wasn't ready to hear yet. It had been quite a shock when they talked about Martha's inability to have children and Clark asked about it the next day...and asked where babies came from.

Not a conversation they were ready for. Then again, neither was this.

Slowly but surely, Jonathan wrote down what Clark had texted him.

Meanwhile, in the other room, memories flooded through the clone of a live it didn't realize was someone else's, as it looked around Clark's old room. Whether it was homework done, board games played, or books read, the clone felt that it had done all of this stuff. Then it saw a paper and some pencils abandoned inside a school desk and grinned.

Back outside the room Martha Kent was flustered at what Jonathan wrote down for her. A clone? Really? What was it doing there? Furthermore no one was certain what to do about it. Reluctantly, they, she agreed to help Jonathan keep an eye on it.

As they walked in, the Clone picked up a piece of paper and said, "Look Ma! And Pa! Look what I did!"

It was hand drawn picture of the farm, little more than a doodle with stick figures, and yet it was the exact recreation of a picture Clark had drawn for them when he was just in preschool.

Martha Kent took the picture and admittedly felt some warm memories from it. Jonathan still didn't like this, but Martha figured that maybe this person was just lost and confused, and it didn't know about the nefarious purpose behind it's creation. She was still a little scared of it, but not as much as before.

"That's very nice dear," she said, with just a hint of caution.

…

If I never see that clone again it will be too soon, thought Luthor as he paced back and forth in his office. Hours of coming through his satellite's data had uncovered nothing. If this clone was traced back to him it could spell disaster. What was he to do?

He stopped pacing. Someone was floating right outside the large office window.

Superman hovered there, his arms crossed and his face stern. Putting on the most smug smile he could, Lex Luthor casually stepped over and pressed a button to open the window. The window opened slowly, but soon there was little but open air between them.

Superman noted with a little satisfaction that Lex Luthor's heart was beating just a little faster than it had been a moment ago.

"Can I help you?" asked Luthor, his mannerisms betraying nothing of the pressure he was feeling.

"I know about the clone and I know you're behind it," said Superman.

"Clone?" asked Luthor, feigning innocent. "I don't know what…"

"That crash from Lexcorp tower wasn't a laser accident," said Superman. "It was a clone of me."

"That's quite an accusation," said Luthor. "If you have any proof…"

"Quite the act," said Superman. "I'm here to remind you that you are playing with forces clearly beyond your ability to control. First Rudy Jones and now this. You keep trying to play God, you're going to get people hurt."

Luthor frowned, "Unlike you?"

Superman had to chuckle a little, "I'm no God. Just a concerned citizen trying to do the right thing."

"Easy for you to say," said Luthor bitterly. "Then again you could say anything you wanted and no one could touch you. Or…" Luthor grinned slyly, "Could you? If that world conference concerning that ship of yours is any indication, you generally want people to like you. Isn't that right?"

Superman didn't reply, but clenched his fists harder, which Luthor felt told him everything he needed to know.

"As I said," continued Luthor. "This is quite an accusation, but if you had proof you would go to the authorities, not straight to me. You can't take the law into your own hands under these circumstances, or everyone will see you as just some monster, even if I'm the one you abuse this power with. So let me make myself clear…"

Luthor took two steps forward and said, "Do not make accusations you cannot prove."

Superman actually felt a little frustrated at the situation, for Luthor was right...to a point.

"My warning still stands," said Superman. "You may not admit it openly, but both you and I know you made that clone."

"There you go with that clone again," said Luthor smugly. "How would we even know it's a clone? I'm sure even your race has twins…"

"You can't control this," said Superman forcefully. "So stop messing with it. You'll get yourself in trouble and have no one to blame but yourself. Remember that."

And Superman flew off. Lex Luthor was left by himself, smiling smugly even as his heart was finally able to slow down a little.

…

Meanwhile, in an adjacent hotel with a view of Lexcorp tower, Lois Lane got the entire conversation on camera. Of course she didn't hear a word that was said. With Lexcorp's sound dampening fields any sort of listening device would have been useless. Still Lois figured Superman would show up sooner or later after the crash from that tower was reported, so she had staked herself out there. The best part was that even though she was getting something on Luthor, she was still technically following the Superman beat just like Perry white wanted.

As she pressed stop on her recording she said to herself with a satisfied grin, "Sweet."


	47. Chapter 47

Superman: The Ark of Krypton

Chapter 47

by

Jason Richard

Martha Kent stood in the kitchen washing the dishes as the clone watched her. The clone had been given some new clones, mainly jeans and a plaid shirt that Clark used to own. Knowing that this was a clone, naturally, made Martha Kent feel really uncomfortable. Fortunately Jonathan was close by doing other household chores. He didn't want her to be alone with that thing, which she appreciated.

The clone, meanwhile, knew something was different about their behavior, but couldn't figure out what that was. They were...awkward around him for some reason. He wanted them to be like the parents he remembered.

But then he bungled that up by sneezing and accidentally setting off his ice breath. Actually, what he thought was going to be ice breath turned out to be flame breath, but that was worse.

When Martha saw her table on fire she called, "Jonathan! Fire."

She didn't wait, but grabbed a cloth and tried to smother the flames, only half succeeding. The Clone, meanwhile, stood back in fear. It hadn't expected this, and was afraid if he did anything he might make things worse...as if his own powers couldn't be trusted. Fortunately Jonathan came in with the fire extinguisher, aimed it right at the table and put the fire out with a large whoosh.

After things calmed down a bit, Jonathan and Martha taking deep breaths, Martha cradled her hands, which were a bit sore from the fire. Jonathan noticed.

"Martha, your hands," said Jonathan.

"It's nothing dear," she said, "I just need the…"

The clone rushed out in a blur, rushed back in even faster, and held out a white box.

"First aid kit," Martha finished. "Um...thank you."

As Jonathan took the little box and got some burn ointment, Martha looked at the Clone and felt pity for the poor thing.

"I'm sorry Ma," the Clone said mournfully.

"It's alright...Clark," she said as Jonathan applied the ointment. "It's only a minor burn. I'll be fine."

Martha was still wary of this thing in her kitchen, but as it gave her that sad look like sad little puppy she couldn't help but feel sorry for it.

"I remember when you accidently sneezed off the barnyard door," said Martha, remembering the real Clark.

"That was an accident too," said the clone. "Pa got mad and said bad words."

Jonathan sighed and said, "Yes. Yes I did."

Martha couldn't help but chuckle a little as Jonathan finished treating her hand.

…

When they were alone a little later Martha exchanged words with Jonathan again with the paper and pencils. She said on her sheet that she didn't think the clone was dangerous. It couldn't help that Lex Luthor created it. It probably needed help more than anything else.

Jonathan was doubtful, but one look on Martha's face and he knew she wasn't going to let this go. He wrote back that she was probably right, but they were the best equipped to help Clark's doppelganger. That would either be Superman's AI friend or STAR Labs.

Martha wholeheartedly agreed.

…

Later that day Clark asked his Pa via text to get a sample of the clone's hair. Jonathan Kent told the clone he would send it to some doctors to figure out what happened to him, and the clone agreed. That night, as the Clone went to sleep, Clark slipped into the house and got the hair from his Pa. Clark then quickly flew up to the North Pole, dropped the hair off in one of the Ark's ship for study, and flew back...bringing with him a communicator from the Ark. The AI agreed that in cases such as this it might be prudent for Clark's parents to be able to contact it.

With that Clark watched over his parents from his apartment, waiting for news from the AI.

…

From within his apartment, using telescopic X-Ray vision and super hearing, he watched his Parents go to sleep as the Clone slept in a different room. It had taken a bit longer for them to fall asleep than the doppelganger, but they had done it. Clark, meanwhile, waited for a message off the communicator, a tablet shaped device laying on the coffee table. Clark did still need to sleep, but found he didn't need as much sleep as normal people, so he could stay up for a while.

Finally the communicator made an electronic noise.

Clark picked up and said to it, "So, what's the verdict?"

The AI confirmed that it was a clone of him. A scan of it's DNA revealed some of Rudy Jones's DNA, of course, and traces of other aliens, as well as, primarily, Clark's DNA. There didn't seem to be any apparatus or anything that would allow Luthor to control it directly, but there was no doubt it came from Lexcorp.

When Clark got the news he sighed and said, "What a mess. I just hope that poor creature doesn't cause any trouble."

...

The next morning the Clone woke up, barely remembering the events of the previous day. As it yawned and stretched in that room that still looked like it belonged to a fifteen year old boy, he saw his Clock and came to a horrifying conclusion.

"Nine O-Clock!" he said in alarm. "I late for work!"


	48. Chapter 48

Superman: The Ark of Krypton

Chapter 48

by

Jason Richard

The next morning, three men got ready for work. Clark, of course, got ready to go to the Daily Planet, getting dressed in one of his usual suits, while the Clone did the same. Jonathan Kent, meanwhile, got ready to fix the hole in the roof that the Clone smashed through. He had only had time to nail down a tarp before sundown the previous day.

The Clone easily had the most trouble out of all of them. After all, it wasn't easy finding a suit that fit him in that boy's closet, though he did find one that was acceptable...if a little tight. The sleeves of this suit barely came up to his wrists, but it was a suit.

Then, of course, it couldn't actually find it's superman suit, so it made due with what it could. A blue sweatshirt and sweatpants with a red bedspread from the closet. It also drew a red S inside a triangle on the sweatshirt with a marker. It looked pretty ridiculous with this getup under his barely able to fit suit, but looking at itself in the mirror it just grinned.

For a moment the Clone almost got ready to fly and burst through the roof, but then remembered itself.

"Oh!" he said, slapping his head. "Silly Clark, I can use the front door."

…

Jonathan Kent hammered away as he got to work fixing the roof. This was something he hadn't had to do in a while, and it felt much more tiring than before. He really was getting too old for this sort of thing.

Suddenly below him the house shook as something burst through the frost door, knocking it completely off its hinged and sending it tumbling into the front yard. Jonathan found a handhold, fortunately, and when he calmed down he took a look at the door lying in the grass and heaved a heavy sigh.

He didn't need to be told what was responsible for that. He was getting too old for this sort of thing too.

…

The Clone flew through the air, a happy, cheerful smile on his face, and soon landed on the sidewalk so he could walk to The Daily Planet. He would soon be at work where it could write newspapers and...write newspapers. He had trouble recollecting what he actually did at the Daily Planet, but he worked there, so it had to be important.

Also with his blue sweatclothes bulging under his dress suit, he got a lot of looks from people, but he didn't' seem to notice.

Upon getting there he was going to burst into the office, when he saw something with his telescopic vision. Right there, about to enter through the front door, was Clark Kent. Who was this strange man who had his face? Did he have something to do with why he looked white and pasty? Whoever he was, the Clone was certain he was an imposter.

"Imposter!" he cried out, ripping the suit off to reveal his very clumsy attempt at a Superman costume.

…

On the street Clark heard the cry of imposter and turned around. Apparently the Clone had tried to go to work. Great, thought Clark, I should have figured he'd try that. Then the Clone then flew straight at him. While everyone around him was distracted by the clone Clark quickly pulled his suit off to reveal his Superman costume underneath, making sure to grab the communicator for the Ark in case he needed the AI's help, and the Clone crashed into him, sending them both flying into the distance.

And through it all the Clone kept yelling, "Imposter!"

…

Lois was right at the front door of the Daily Planet when it happened. She was just thinking about her front page article showing Superman confronting Lex Luthor. Even from a distance she could tell the conversation was antagonistic. This story would raise a lot of questions people would demand answers to. Why was Superman confronting him? Is Superman going out of character and just being a bully, or does Lex Luthor have something to hide?

Since when does Lex Luthor not have something to hide?

She figured she'd be hard pressed to top that story any time soon.

But when she got to the glass doors she heard the shout of, "Imposter!" and saw in the reflection the Clone dive bombing Superman.

She turned around, grinning slyly. Apparently an even bigger story had just landed in her lap.

…

Flying through the air at blinding speed, buildings seeming to rush past them in a blur, the Clone managed to get behind Superman and wrap his arm around Superman's neck. The pressure around his neck surprised him.

Superman flew against the Clone, stopping them midair. Them he grabbed the arm, spun them both around, slipped out of the Clone's grasp, then threw him away. As the Clone flew backwards it struggled to stop and regain its control. When he finally stopped he hovered upside down, and took a second to reorient itself. When The Clone was finally hovering straight up, it saw Superman, who put his hands up cautiously, trying to keep things calm.

"Listen," said Superman. "This isn't what you think."

"Imposter!" cried the Clone. "I'm Superman! Me! Me! Me! Me! Me!"

"Calm down!" said Superman, but the Clone would have none of it.

"You replaced me!" cried the Clone, who looked over his strange, pure white skin and said, "You do something to me! What you do?! What?! What?!"

Superman was at a loss. How could he explain this? There was no way to explain this so that the clone would understand, or even believe. Clark said the only thing he could that might diffuse the situation.

"Whatever's going on with us," said Superman. "It has to be Lex Luthor who's behind it."

The Clone tipped his head to the side curiously, "Luthor? He there when I wake up."

"And he's a bad man," said Superman. "You know? Everyone knows he's up to know good, but he hides that he's behind it all."

The Clone did remember that. It remembered Lois Lane always trying to expose Lex Luthor. It remembered that smug smile Luthor always gave. It remembered the way Luthor spoke.

"Yes," said the Clone. "Luthor bad man. I deal with him. But first, deal with you. IMPOSTER!"

"Oh come on!" cried Superman as he dodged. Superman then flew up, hoping to lead the two of them away from the city. The clone followed, and within seconds they were high up in the sky, right next to the clouds.

…

From below Lois Lane stepped out of a taxi and got out a small camera. Looking up through the camera her zoom function could barely make out the two figures flying above. Oh how she wished she could see more, but this would have to do.

She couldn't help but wonder what it was like up there.

…

Spiderman and the clone circled around each other, making whirlwinds in the clouds. The clone flew in close and tried to land a few punches, but Superman dodged and twisted around, getting behind the clone and grabbing his arms, holding on as tight as he could.

"I don't want to hurt you!" cried Superman.

"Liar!" cried the Clone," breaking free, turning around, and hitting Superman with all his strength, enough to make a shockwave that blasted away nearby clouds and made a sound like thunder.

As Superman, dazed and feeling the hurt from that blow, knew he needed a way to subdue the Clone, but nothing came to him. Anything he could tie the clone up in he could just break out of. Whatever he did, he would have to do it fast.

Thinking back, what was it that JLAI 13 had said about his powers? He got it from sunlight. The more energy he had, the more power he had. It stood to reason that the clone's powers worked the same way. If he could get the clone into a dark area and get him to drain his energy…

As he dodged more punches from the clone Superman scanned below him for any area of the subway or sewage tunnels, looking somewhere far away from people. At last he found a sewer area that would do it. Knowing the clone would follow him he dove straight for it.

And follow the clone did.

Superman, quick as lightning, flew down, pulled the manhole cover off, and dove in, the clone whooshing after him. They flew through the sewers, the force of their flight disturbing the water beneath them. As they flew the Clone realized that there were no people nearby, so it decided to pull out the big guns.

Heat vision...or what it thought was heat vision.

Whatever came from the clone's eyes was a blue energy that, instead of heating things up, left a thin trail of frost over whatever it hit. Superman dodged the blue energy beam wondering just how an ice beam could possibly work. This was fine though. He needed the clone to eat through energy faster anyway.

Finally Superman saw another manhole cover above him. He quickly inhaled and used his breath to blow the manhole cover off...though not with enough force for it to fly up and land on someone. Them Superman turned around and charged his heat vision.

The clone saw this and, with his face twisted in rage, shot his ice vision right at Superman. Their red and blue eye beams collided, making a mist in the air. Superman made sure to hover right under the manhole cover, where he had a steady stream of sunlight giving him energy. The clone, meanwhile was still in the darkness. If Superman was right the clone would run out of energy long before he did.

After a few moments, it happened. The Clone suddenly started losing it's beam power and Superman's heat vision caught it in the chest, sending it flying backwards and splashing into the water. Superman let off his heat vision immediately, worried he'd burned him, but the clone stood up moments later. Angry, it tried to fly, but couldn't get off the ground. The Clone was out of power, but Superman still had his.

Seeing Superman still flying, the clone realized this, and started to back away in fear. Superman felt more pity for this thing now more than ever, but he had another problem. He needed to get this clone to the Ark so JLAI 13 could examine him, but the moment this clone stepped into the light he'd get his powers back. He might even be getting them back now, even in his limited light.

So, what to do?


	49. Chapter 49

Superman: The Ark of Krypton

Chapter 49

by

Jason Richard

In that sewer, trying not to breath through his nose, Superman slowly flew down and hovered right in front of the Clone, who trembled in fear. He put his hands up slowly to show he meant no harm, but the Clone looked like he would bolt and run at any second. Superman chose his words carefully, and in the end had to go with the truth...or at least as much of it as he could feasibly tell.

"Listen," said Superman. "I meant it when I said I don't want to hurt you. Right now you have memories telling you that you're Superman...and Clark Kent. I've got the same memories."

"No!" said the Clone, terrified. "Me Superman! Me!"

"Let's find out!" said Superman, cutting him off. "We'll go to the North Pole, where the Ark is. JLAI 13 should be able to tell us which is the real Superman."

The Clone seemed to think that was a good idea, "Oh! The nice robot! Yes yes!"

The Clone then ran enthusiastically towards the light under the open manhole, splashing as he went, stood under it, and jumped up and down, making more splashes. Under the light, however, his powers started to return, and he very slowly started to levitate upwards.

Superman took a deep breath, hoping this was a good idea.

…

The moment Lex Luthor heard that Superman was fighting something, he immediately got on a computer and brought up satellite images of the fight. Sure enough, it was the Clone. This could end up a big Public Relations disaster if word got out that the Clone was made at Lexcorp, but Luthor decided to see this as an opportunity to get information on Superman.

As he rubbed his chin thoughtfully he didn't really see anything that would give him an edge over such a being, but he did notice one moment that was interesting. Specifically it was the moment where Superman actually defeated the Clone. Using thermal imaging to see underground he saw them fight under the sewers, and from all appearances it looked like the Clone lost its powers while Superman didn't. Why?

The only clue was where Superman had stopped to challenge the clone, right under an open manhole. The only thing of significance that Superman would have the the Clone didn't was sunlight. Could it be? Could Superman be...solar powered?

Perhaps partially, but that couldn't be the entire story. The clone, moments later, stepped into the light and got its powers back. Thinking back on Superman's feats such as his speed and strength to lift a building Solar Power alone couldn't do it. There had to be something else.

Lytener was working on solar energy once wasn't he? Could that be the secret he'd thrown away as the Parasite Rudy Jones suggested? Maybe. He'd have to have a little talk with Lytener. Soon.

…

It didn't take long for the Clone to reach the North Pole and find the Ark. Clark contacted the AI ahead of time so it knew to go ahead and let the Clone inside. Within that ship the Clone flew through and looked at the alien craft with wonder, even though it remembered seeing all before. It took particular delight in the zoo area with all the strange Kryptonian animals.

"High yellow doggies!" said the Clone. "High glass birds! High dragon!" And it names many other creatures both big and small, waving to them enthusiastically.

Finally the Clone reached the control room, where it remembered talking to the AI before.

"Hello AI!" said the Clone cheerfully. "How are you?"

"I am operating at maximum efficiency," said the AI. "I appreciate the inquiry."

The Clone just laughed and said, "That means you doing well and thanks for asking. Silly AI talks so funny."

"What can I do for you?" asked the AI.

…

Meanwhile Superman entered the ship right behind his doppelganger and made his way towards the cockpit. He didn't know what was going to happen, but had explained the situation to the Ai, instructing it to explain the situation to the Clone with as much tact as possible. After all, finding out one is a clone can't be a pleasant experience. Superman hoped the AI had enough of a grasp of what tact was that this would go smoothly.

He hoped.


	50. Chapter 50

Superman: The Ark of Krypton

Chapter 50

by

Jason Richard

"I found name for you!" said the Clone suddenly.

"Did you now?" asked the AI stoically.

"You have big brain," said the Clone. "So you Braniac!"

The Clone grinned, proud of himself. Superman, meanwhile, entered at that moment and rolled his eyes. He couldn't help but feel that this was a rather silly name.

"The brain part is accurate," said the AI. "But where does the second part of that amalgam, maniac, come from?"

"Huh?" asked the Clone, trying to remember the meaning of the word amalgam.

"Alright," said Superman. "Alright, JLAI 13, please scan us."

"Of course Kal-El," said the AI.

"Hey, me Kal-El," said the Clone.

"Of course Kal-El," said the AI.

The Kryptonian consoles in that room buzzed to life as the scanners went to work. Within moments the AI had the truth. Superman hoped he would break the news gently.

"The individual standing near the entrance is the real Kal-El," said the AI. "While the one in the center of the room is the clone."

Superman rubbed his face in frustration. That was not gentle at all.

The Clone, meanwhile, looked around the room and realized what the AI meant. The Clone then looked horrified by this truth and shook his head.

"No," he said, tears starting to run down his cheeks. "No...no...no...no...I Superman! I Superman! I…"

The Clone sank to his knees then grabbed his hair as he began to cry. Superman couldn't help but feel pity for this poor creature. He very slowly approached, trying not to make any sudden moves. The clone noticed him, and looked up at Superman mournfully.

"You get rid of the bad Superman?" he asked.

Superman took a second to figure out what the clone meant, then shook his head, "No. You're not bad. You can't help what you are. Luthor's the bad man, and I'll deal with him when I can. As for you, we'll do what we can for you, and you can stay here until we figure out what that is."

The Clone, wiping the tears from his eyes, said, "Skin and eyes look weird...and brain not think right...I sometimes notice."

"Alright," said Superman. "JLAI 13, do you think you can figure out a way to fix those flaws in his DNA?"

"I'll get to work on it right away," said the AI.

"Brainiac," said the Clone, grinning through his teary eyes. "That his name now. Brainiac."

"Sure," said Superman, sighing. "Brainiac. Why not? Anyway, I'll go see what I can do about Luthor."

"Okay," said the Clone. "Thank Superman. You nice."

Superman nodded then flew out. It seemed things had quieted down for now, and this whole ordeal had gone down smoothly in the end. The Clone, meanwhile, was still a little upset that he wasn't who he thought he was, but Superman's kindness had put him at ease. While he waited he figured he'd answer another question.

What should he be called now?

…

Edward Lytener waited in that coffee shop for Lois Lane, partially wishing it was only a date. Actually he had more information for her from Lexcorp. This whistleblowing had been going well, though that scare when the Clone burst through the roof and Lex Luthor showed up had sent his heart pounding. Still, Edward had a job to do. He knew too much than he'd ever want to about Lexcorp's illegal activities, and he wasn't going to sit idly by while that went on under his nose.

Plus a chance to talk to Lois Lane was always welcome.

Finally Lois walked through the doors and found him immediately. As she sat down Edward took a deep breath. He had a doozy of information for her today.

"So what have you got?" asked Lois as she sat down. "Your message made it sound like something good. It better be. It have to be amazing to come ahead of Superman fighting some monster in the sky and sewer."

"Oh it is," said Edward, proud of himself. "Amazing I mean. I found out why Lexcorp has been invested in cloning lately. I saw, with my own eyes, a clone of Superman himself."

Lois's jaw dropped, "You're kidding...how did they even get his DNA?"

"That I don't know," said Edward. "But they did it, and I'll bet you anything it was the clone that attacked superman earlier."

Lois began writing on her pad furiously, "Oh that's great. You got proof?"

"Yeah," said Edward. "I managed to pull some security footage of the clone smashing through walls and talking to Luthor."

He pulled out a flash drive which Lois Lane accepted eagerly. Seeing how good a mood she was in, Edward Lytener figured that if he was ever going to ask Lois out, now was the best time. He took a deep breath.

"Say Lois…"

"Yes?" she asked, looking up.

He kept telling himself to just ask her, but when the words just wouldn't come out of his mouth he said, "I might have to quit Lexcorp after this. I haven't gotten information this big before, and it might not be safe."

"Seriously?" said Lois, disappointed. "Cutting and running just when things are getting good huh? Oh well, you did great with everything else. Thanks for the info."

She got up and left, and Edward silently called himself a coward. He was just about to get up and leave when he got a call on his phone. He pulled it out of his pocket...then nearly fainted when he saw who the call was from.

The phone read: Mr. Luthor.


	51. Chapter 51

Superman: The Ark of Krypton

Chapter 51

by

Jason Richard

"M...M...Mr. Luthor," Edward Lytener stammered.

"Mr. Lytener," said Mr. Luthor. "Meet me in my office immediately. I want to talk about an old project of yours."

"Of...of course sir," said Edward. "Right away."

As they hung up, Edward immediately ran as fast as he could back to Lexcorp. Fortunately his meeting place with Lois wasn't far, but he still hadn't counted on his boss calling him at that moment. He'd need to be fast.

…

"KENT!" cried Perry White. "Kent! Where in the blazes are you!"

As Perry white stormed to the main office of the Daily Planet, Clark, with his super powered ears, could hear Perry White from within the elevator. In truth Clark didn't want to leave the Clone alone for too long, but he needed to do something about Luthor, and he could do more to get evidence as Clark Kent than he could as Superman. Besides, the AI would take care of the Clone, so he was probably safe.

"Kent! I'f you're not in my office in five seconds..."

Finally Clark made it out of the elevator and got to the office. Just in time too. As he rushed inside (as fast as a normal human could any way) he pretended to be out of breath.

"Mr. White!" said Clark. "I got here just as that thing attacked Superman. I was just…"

"Covering it?" said White, calming down. "Fair enough, but Lane's on that beat. We just got word that Intergang leader Mannheim was released from prison. His lawyers got him off."

Clark grimaced at that.

"I want you to cover it," White continued. "And while you're at it investigate any connection to Lexcorp."

"Not that I'm complaining," said Clark. "But Miss Lane isn't going to be happy with this arrangement."

Perry White sighed and said, "Let clue you in on the Lois situation. She's obsessed with Lexcorp, has been for a while now. She's uncovered quite a few dirty businesses in Metropolis since she started working here, but Lexcorp is different. She's was working that beat for over a year before you showed up, and she's got nothing to show for it."

"What does this have to do with me?" asked Clark.

"Lane's instincts are sharp," said White. "If she think's Lexcorp is dirty, then I'll bet you anything it is. The trouble is she's gotten so determined with bringing it down her actual stories have...well...kind of suffered. Really, that first article on Superman was the best she's done in a while."

Clark figured he understood, "You want to keep working the Lexcorp beat, but with someone who'll put the story first."

"Right," said White. "Also, you didn't hear this from me. Technically this is all none of your business anyway, so I want you to shut up and get to work."

Clark could take a hint, "I'll get right on it sir."

"Glad to hear it," said white.

As Clark left White's office he started thinking. Lexcorp was dirty. He had proof with the clone. In this moment Clark realized that the clone really was the best evidence he had against Lex Luthor. If Luthor was developing that much power, and couldn't even control it, it would stain his reputation. Clark figured he should be cautious about how he revealed it, though, for the clone's sake.

At that moment Clark also couldn't help but wonder what Lex Luthor was doing about that particular situation.

…

Edward Lytener burst into Lex Luthor's office panting and out of breath. Luthor sat at his desk rapping his fingers on the hard wood, not terribly pleased.

"Mr. Lytener," he said, "I'm certain I said I wanted you here immediately. What, was there a traffic jam in the elevator?"

"Elevator was going down," said Lytener, panting as he took a seat. "I took the stairs."

Edward held his breath as Luthor looked at him suspiciously. After a few moments, though, Luthor shrugged and said, "Let's get down to business. I want to you tell me about your experiments with solar power."

Edward was surprised by this, and in truth Luthor didn't really know what he intended to find with this inquiry. He'd considered the possibility of Superman's power coming from solar radiation, but it seemed unlikely. Lex Luthor calculated that in order to do the kind of things Superman did the amount of radiation Superman would have to absorb from the sun would either leave a giant mass of darkness over the city of Metropolis or take decades to store up. Since either scenario was unlikely Luthor had to consider other possibilities.

"Well," said Edward, secretly glad this wasn't about the clone. "I did get some findings that showed promise, but it turned out to be a dead end."

"What do you mean?" asked Luthor.

"We found traces of a form of energy within solar radiation unlike anything we've ever seen before," said Edward. "Early testing showed great promise. If you could contain this then a single battery of it the size of a double A could power a locomotive for three years."

That had to be it, thought Luthor, the secret behind Superman's power.

"So what was the problem?" asked Luthor.

"No way to convert it," said Edward. "Aside from travelling in waves, just like regular light particles, it never changes form. In it's base form it doesn't really do anything except travel. In order to use it you'd either have to find a way to convert it to electricity, or use technology that ran on that energy exclusively. Both, I'm afraid, were total dead ends. Actually just detecting the energy was so difficult we had to shut down study of it once the costs when up."

"I see," sadi Luthor, rubbing his chin as he found all of this intriguing. "Anything else?"

"Yes," said Edward. "We did detect this energy in space, coming from other stars, though it seems the older the star is the less amount of this energy it gives off. A red star doesn't give it at all."

"Very good," said Luthor. "Thank you. That will be all for now."

Edward Lytener, glad to get away, left as quickly as possible. Luthor, meanwhile, felt he was onto something. Even if he couldn't figure out a way to harness this energy himself, he could at least figure out a way to block this energy from getting to Superman. Once he was able to study him then he could figure out how his powers worked.

The next step was to build a way to block this energy, then test it on the clone once it turned up again. Hopefully that clone would turn out to be useful for something.


	52. Chapter 52

Superman: The Ark of Krypton

Chapter 52

by

Jason Richard

Lois Lane spent the rest of the day working on her article. This was the one where she finally struck a blow against Lexcorp. It might not put him out of business, but it would call into question his trustworthiness. It would of course make the front page, and as she typed on her computer she pitied everyone else at the Daily Planet. Not that she wanted to come off as arrogant, but it wasn't everyday a story this big dropped out of the sky.

Little did she know that the lead Clark Kent was working on would lead to something...interesting for the people of Metropolis.

He, of course, went to the Metropolis City court to talk to Mannheim's lawyers, the district attorney, and the judge who presided over the case. If there was a link to Lexcorp, Clark intended to find it. Even if he had to cheat and use super hearing. Clark understood Lois's obsession with taking down Lexcorp, and after seeing the state of that poor clone Clark was beginning to share that obsession.

Who knew what else Lex Luthor might do?

The actual interviews didn't go well. Most information Clark got was pretty much the same, but the first interview, with the judge himself, pretty much set the tone for the rest of the night. Superman learned what exactly got Mannheim off.

"What?" asked Clark in astonishment, stopping his hand when he realized he'd cracked the plastic of his tape recorder.

"The reason we had to release Mannheim," said the judge, and elderly man. "Was because of wrongful arrest. Superman has no legal authority to make arrests. Actually, I suspect after this case other petty criminals he's taken in will have to be released."

"But…" said Clark, stammering. "But your honor, hasn't Superman turned every criminal he's captured into the police? Also, I do believe citizen's arrest is legal in Metropolis, isn't it?"

"Both questions have the same answer," said the judge. "Superman is not a registered citizen of Metropolis, or indeed the United States of America. I challenge you to fight a birth certificate with the name 'Superman,' or 'Kal-El' on it. As someone who isn't even an American citizen we cannot accept his authority on these matters."

"But sir," said Clark. "Aren't you concerned that the public will...feel threatened by a bunch of criminals being released back onto the streets?"

"If those men aren't lawfully arrested," said the judge. "Then they cannot be held."

That was pretty much the end of the conversation. His interviews with Mannheim's lawyers and the District Attorney didn't fare much better, though the DA expressed Clark's frustrations. Clark knew Luthor was behind all of this, but he needed proof.

So in that courthouse, with his X-Ray vision, he watched Mannheim. Once the man started talking to his lawyers, that's when Clark would start eavesdropping. Mannheim did meet his lawyers, but instead of getting a room in that courthouse they went to a Limo outside. Scanning it with vision revealed that it had one of those sound dampening devices, so Clark wouldn't be able to listen in.

Fortunately, Clark was also an investigative reporter, and had other tricks up his sleeve.

As Bruno Mannheim was let inside the car by his bodyguards something made a noise. Mannheim looked over to see a trash can, vibrating like something had knocked into it. The next moment Mannheim felt a breeze as if something rushed behind him, but as he looked back to the car he didn't see anything.

Certainly not the bug Clark planted under the car cushion using Super Speed.

As Mannheim got into the Limo, Clark sat in a small cafe using earbuds to listen in through the bug.

"It's not good Bruno," said one of the Lawyers. "Our mutual employer isn't pleased with your results."

"He thinks this is my fault?" demanded Mannheim. "What does he expect when I'm up against a bulletproof menace like that?"

"He doesn't blame you," said the lawyer. "But he has put out an open call. Anyone who can take on Superman will become our employer's new black market arms dealer. Your association with us has been very appreciated, but can you really blame him for a move like this?" Watch with telecopic X-Ray vision Clark could seen Mannheims frustration, though he didn't sympathize.

As he listened via the recording device from that cafe Clark figured the 'employer' was likely Lex Luthor, though he'd need a slip up from one of them to confirm it. Little did he know it, but the slip up came soon.

"Just a tip," said the Lawyer. "But a way to stay in our employer's good graces would be to find his missing...ahem...science project."

"That thing that attacked Superman?" said Mannheim.

"Of course," said the Lawyer. "Here's a picture."

Mannheim whistled and said, "Ugly."

The rest of the conversation didn't matter. They never mentioned Lex Luthor by name, but Clark did know that the Clone was made by him. Still no hard evidence for Luthor, but Clark had his story: Mannheim connected to the thing that attacked Superman. It was, at the very least, a start to this investigation.

At that moment he couldn't help but wonder what Lois had come up with for her story.


	53. Chapter 53

Superman: The Ark of Krypton

Chapter 53

by

Jason Richard

The clone, still in his rather sloppy, makeshift Superman outfit made from a sweatshirt, sweatpants and a bed sheet, flew back and forth within that control room, essentially pacing in Midair. He was bored, very bored, and wanted to do something.

"Braniac," said the Clone. "How long scan take?"

"A few more hours sir," said the AI. "DNA is a complicated structure, and interpreting all the data takes time."

"I bored," said the Clone, crossing his arms grumpily. "I want do something. Be hero. Save damsels in distress and pull kittens from trees."

Then the clone grinned and said, "I like kittens. They're cute."

"Kal-El requested that you to stay here," said the AI.

The Clone grunted and said, "He no boss of me. I save who I want!"

And the clone flew out, hoping to do what heroes do best.

…

Clark walked into Mr. White's office and saw two things that made him uncomfortable. Lois was there, looking smug, and Perry White had a big smile on his face. He'd only ever seen Mr. White smile like this when he thought no one could hear him listening to Elvis music. He'd never been this openly happy, and Clark didn't know what to make of it.

"Have a seat Kent," said Mr. White.

"What's going on?" asked Clark.

"The two of you," said White. "You brilliant people."

"Well I know what I did," said Lois, confused. "What did Kent do?"

"Well?" said Perry White. "Tell her."

"Um," said Clark. "I got a recording from Bruno Mannheim himself talking about some 'employer,' though not mentioned by name. He did mention that this employer was responsible for the creation of that thing that attacked Superman yesterday. A clone apparently."

Lois's jaw dropped, and Clark could hear her heartbeat getting faster. "I don't believe it," said Lois. "We've got him. Lex Luthor is going down!"

"Why…" Clark began…

"Because," said Lois. "One of the whistleblowers I've had working for me gave me solid proof that the Clone originated at Lexcorp. I mean cloning laws are something Luthor's lawyers can handle easily, but an indirect connection to Bruno Mannheim? Not so much."

She was right. They did have him. They had solid proof of Lex Luthor's corruption. There was only one other little detail that Mr. White had for them.

"So," said Perry White, "I want both of you to work on that article and get in on my desk pronto."

For a second Lois wasn't sure she heard that correctly. She was so caught up in finally catching Lex Luthor in the act that she'd forgotten Clark Kent had gotten half the incriminating evidence. It made sense that the article would be done by both of them.

But it still steamed her that she wasn't' getting it to herself.

"Mr. White…" she began.

"No Lois," grunted White. "You can't have the article to yourself. I know you've been working on this longer, but I don't care."

"If this is going to cause a problem…" Clark began, trying to be nice.

"It's not," said White, glaring at both of them. "Is it Lois?"

Lois had worked with Perry long enough to know when not to argue with it, so she swallowed her pride and said, "Understood." as robotically as possible.

Clark, meanwhile, stood back a little and started feeling very uncomfortable.

As they left Mr. White's office Lois didn't sit down at her desk but started pacing back and forth, fuming. Clark approached cautiously, knowing he was supposed to work on the new article with her. As Superman he could lift a building up and put it back in its place, but that seemed trivial compared to finding something to say to Lois Lane at that moment.

"Uh Lois…"

Lois put her hand up and said, "I know...I know...we've got a job to do...just give me a minute."

"I didn't mean to cause you any distress," said Clark. "I know this story means a lot to you."

Lois couldn't help it. She laughed at him, "Look at you. You get to share in one of the biggest stories of all time and you're apologizing for inconveniencing me. Good grief Clark, if I'd gotten a story this big this early in my career I would have jumped for joy."

"Well," said Clark hesitantly. "I'd hate to think that my success got in someone else's way."

"What a boy scout," said Lois, rolling her eyes. "Don't worry about me. I can recover from wounded pride." then Lois's eyes narrowed. "Say...just how did you manage to get a recording device into Bruno Mannheim's limo?"

Clark hesitated, and replied, "Very carefully."

"Uh huh…" said Lois suspiciously. "Well, we should get to work."

Clark got ready, hoping this awkwardness would blow over soon, until he heard something. It was a high pitched voice that nearly hurt his ears, but looking around no one else could seem to hear it.

"Forgive me sir," said JLAI 13. "I needed to contact you, so I'm using a frequency only you can hear. We have slight problem with your clone."

...

Martha Kent paced back and forth through the kitchen, her nerves all jittery. She'd been woken up to the sound of that clone bursting through the front door, and hadn't been able to calm down since. At least the Clone hadn't gotten her or Jonathan hurt, but it could have...easily...even without meaning to.

The poor thing would probably have been devastated if it had accidentally hurt someone.

Jonathan walked to to find her in that state, saying, "Finally got the door back on...Martha? Are you alright?"

"No," said Martha. "No I'm not. I'm both terrified of what that clone will do next...and worried for it. Him...I guess...Oh this is all so confusing."

Jonathan sighed and pulled Martha into a comforting embrace, saying, "I don't claim to understand what this means any more than you do, but I know what you mean. I'm just as worried for about it, and scared of it as you are. This whole situation is just so bizarre."

As Jonathan and Martha Kent comforted each other, little did they know that the very clone they spoke of was not that far away, listening to them with super hearing and feeling very, very sad because of what they said.


	54. Chapter 54

Superman: The Ark of Krypton

Chapter 54

by

Jason Richard

As Lois and Clark worked on the article, taking turns doing the actual writing, Clark remained quite distracted. The clone was back in the city, and was just...flying. Not really getting in anyone's way or doing anything specific. The Clone just flew around with a dejected look on his face, and within the Daily Planet Clark could see him.

He knew he should do something, but he couldn't think of what. In truth part of him was glad he had the article to distract himself with. Most of him, though, was desperate to do something about this situation.

As Clark looked out the building, watching the Clone sit on a building looking at some birds, Lois snapped her fingers at him.

"Hey Kent," said Lois. "What's so interesting about the wall?"

He didn't mention his X-Ray vision as he replied, "Nothing. Just...something on my mind. Ever have a problem you don't know the solution to?"

"Sometimes," said Lois. "But why ask me? Do I look like a therapist?"

"No," said Clark, chuckling. "But you share your opinion so quickly you sometimes feel like one."

Lois laughed, "You got me there." and as she went back to typing she asked, "So what's on your mind?"

"Well…" but before Clark could answer he saw the clone with his X-Ray vision again...and the clone was in pain. Someone was hurting him. Before Clark had time to wonder what the Clone was speeding away...right towards Lexcorp.

"Uh...hold that thought," said Clark. "I'll be right back." and he hurried away.

"Where's the fire Kent?" asked Lois, confused at his sudden departure.

…

The Clone was in agony. Someone was ringing in his ears unlike anything he'd heard before, and it was giving him a splitting headache. He didn't know where he was going, only that he needed to find the source of that sound and smash it...and smash it he did. He found a machine that looked like a radar dish and punched it to pieces.

Finally the wringing in his ears stopped and he calmed down, only to hear the sound of an iron door closing behind him. Turning around eh Clone realized he was in an air hanger of some sort, with no vehicles, only another machine a few feet away that looked vaguely like a laser.

"Huh?" said the Clone.

…

Superman flew after the clone and saw him disappear into the hanger, then stopped. The building was Lexcorp, and Superman sensed a trap. Sure enough he looked around with his X-Ray vision and found cameras everywhere. In a moment Superman realized that Lex Luthor wanted him to barge in, so he could catch the moment on film.

"Why Superman?" asked Lex Luthor suddenly on a loudspeaker. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

…

The machine powered up, and the poor clone was bewildered as to why. He did have enough presence of mind to know that this was a trap, but it hadn't occurred to him that anything could hurt him. What he didn't notice was that the only light that could get into that room was the light from the ceiling, and that wouldn't give him any power.

And neither would the red light that came from the laser looking device. It didn't hurt the clone in any way, but he did start to feel a little tingly all over.

As he looked over his glowing from he said, "Huh?"

…

The hanger in question was lined with lead, so Superman couldn't see inside. How did Luthor plan to deal with the clone?

"What's your game Luthor?" said Superman. "Why lure the Clone back?"

"Oh it was a clone that attacked you?" said Luthor's voice on the loudspeaker. "My my, who would, or could, create such a thing?"

"Oh I don't know," said Superman, crossing his arms in midair. "Maybe an overly ambitious billionaire with a god complex."

Lex Luthor just laughed at him. "Perhaps. I hope you aren't accusing me of such an act?"

Lex Luthor's going to have a big surprise coming in tomorrow's paper, thought Superman.

…

The laser finally stopped, and the next thing the Clone knew men had come into the room with shock sticks, and one carried a syringe. This made the Clone angry.

"Stand back evildoers!" the Clone cried. "Or I…

It was just then that the Clone realized he couldn't fly. He'd been trying to get off the ground for a few moments already, but nothing was happening. It dawned on the clone that he didn't have his powers.

As the men circles him, he did the only thing he could. He cried out, "Help! Help!"

…

Outside the building Superman could hear the clone's cries. What was going on? Had luthor figured out a Kryptonian's weakness? Was he using Kryptonite on the clone now? Was it something else? Either way it was more certain than ever that Luthor wanted Superman to barge in. Whether it was the camera's outside framing Superman for just barging in or whatever was inside hurting the clone, this whole thing was just one big trap.

It didn't matter though. Through all these thoughts, all Superman could hear were the cries for help. It was something he always answered, and he wasn't about to stop now.

"LUTHOR!" cried Superman as he flew forward and burst through the building's iron doors.


	55. Chapter 55

Superman: The Ark of Krypton

Chapter 55

by

Jason Richard

It was over in seconds. Superman lightly tapped each man on the head knocking each of them out, and he then placed the men in a corner. As Superman sighed, ready to take on the consequences, the laser that had taken away Clone's powers began charging.

…

Lex Luthor sat in his office, delighted as he watched a video of the hanger. Already a crowd had formed outside the building, seeing Superman barge into Lexcorp without cause. Furthermore the laser, a device designed by Edward Lytener, used energy similar to that of a red sun. Lytener's hypothesis had merit it seemed. Red Sun's had a similar form of energy to the type hidden in a yellow sun, but it had little to no potential. As predicted it replaced the energy in the Clone's body, making his powers completely useless.

"Now," said Luthor. "Let's see if the same can be said about Superman."

…

"Dodge!" cried the clone.

Superman heard the clone, then heard the humming of the laser, and sped out of the way as the red light narrowly missed him. Superman flew around the room keeping just out of the light's reach, but the beam was surprisingly wide, and zigzaged to try and confused him.

Nevertheless Superman was able to get close, and apart from one moment where the beam passed over him briefly he didn't feel anything.

He punched the laser, sending it flying and crashing into the wall, though it felt harder and heavier than he remembered. The laser had taken a little of his powers? Just what had Luthor discovered?

…

Lex Luthor sat in his office watching the scene unfold. Once his scanners got the readings he was very pleased indeed. After observing Superman with satellites they knew how much force he could exert, and just a little bit of that red energy resulted in Superman's fist having less force.

With a little refinement the technology might be able to take away Superman's power with even more efficiency. As for Superman Luthor knew Superman couldn't take him in. He had nothing to charge him with, nor any authority to make arrests, and as far as everyone was concerned Superman had just barged into Lexcorp. Any weapon he used against Superman was in self defense. Yes, Lex Luthor was feeling pretty happy with himself.

He picked up a phone, "Hello? This your boss. I'd like to give Mr. Lytener a promotion for his excellent work."

…

Superman slowly approached the clone, who was shivering with fear. The Clone could feel its power returning, but the idea that it could be taken away so quickly was still terrifying. The Clone looked at Superman with large eyes and said, "Luthor do it, huh?"

Superman sighed and said, "Yes, Luthor did it."

"He do it all," said the Clone sadly. "He make me, a bizarre Superman. That what I am, what man called me. I not Superman. I Bizzaro."

"Hey don't beat yourself up," said Superman. "None of anything that's happened here is your fault."

"No, it Luthor's." Suddenly the clone looked up, a hint of anger in his eyes, "You supposed to deal with him."

Superman waited and said, "I am. Lex Luthor will be behind bars by tomorrow."

"You say you deal with him other day!" said the Clone. "Why not now!?"

"These things take time," said Superman. "I can't just barge in…"

"I can!" cried the clone, flying up and smashing through the ceiling. Superman followed, knowing this couldn't be good.

…

Luthor heard the crashing, and immediately pressed a button on his desk. He knew the Clone might not restrain itself the same way Superman would, so he had precautions set up within his office. The Clone still had markers in it's DNA which, when triggered, would make it essentially human. Luthor had the technology to trigger those markers right in his office.

And by the time the Clone burst through the floor, the technology was charged. Although the Clone didn't burst through the floor in the office, but just outside, and when the door burst open Luthor realized that the clone was outside the field. If he just got a little closer.

"Luthor!" cried the Clone in a fierce rage.

"Yes?" said Luthor nonchalantly.


	56. Chapter 56

Superman: The Ark of Krypton

Chapter 56

by

Jason Richard

Jonathan and Martha Kent could see Metropolis City limits in the distance. It wouldn't be too long before they made it to Lexcorp. They both had solemn looks on their faces, and neither one of them felt ready for what they were getting themselves into.

"You sure about this Martha?" said Jonathan.

"No," she said. "But we have to try. If that poor thing is going on a rampage maybe we can...I don't know...calm him down."

"But the news said it was Lexcorp he crashed into," said Jonathan. "If Clark's suspicions about that place are true maybe we shouldn't get involved."

"Well I can sit around and do nothing," said Martha. "And I don't think you can either."

Jonathan sighed and said, "No, probably not. We'll be there in a few minutes."

…

The Clone...now thinking of himself as Bizarro...began to fly towards Lex Luthor menacingly, and Luthor kept his finger on the button. Once he pressed that button and energy flooded the room his little experiment would be powerless. Come on, thought Luthor, his heart pounding as this force of nature approached, just a little bit further…

"Stop!" cried Superman, flying out of the hole in the floor left by the Bizarro, who stopped and turned around, glaring angrily. Luthor grimaced in frustration. The Clone was just outside the technology's range.

"Don't do this," said Superman, pleading. "Just be patient, and Luthor will see justice."

"I wanna see justice now!" protested Bizarro.

"Listen," said Superman. "JLAI...uh...Brainiac is working to help your condition. You still have a chance at an ordinary life, but if you do this it won't matter what Luthor has done. Everyone will see you as a monster."

The Clone looked down sadly and said, "I am monster." then he looked at Luthor angrily. "He make me one."

And Bizarro rushed him. Lex Luthor, sadly, wouldn't have had time within that split second to press his little button if Superman hadn't tackled Bizarro from behind. Lex Luthor didn't even have time to duck as the pair of them flew over his head and burst through the window behind him.

As Lex Luthor took a breath, his heart pounding from that exchange, he realized he had pressed the button. The only question was whether or not the clone had been exposed to enough radiation to trigger the markers in his DNA.

Only time will tell.

…

Superman had his arm around Bizarro's neck, but this just enraged his clone. Bizarro then flew both of them down and smashed Superman into the pavement, shattering the concrete to bits. Superman was forced to let go as the Clone rose up, turned around, and started punching Superman in the face over and over again, the blows making a sound like lightning.

As people around back off and watched, Superman grabbed Bizarro's wrists and kicked his torso, sending Bizarro flying into the air.

As the Clone stopped in the air it glared at Superman, saying, "Me not real Superman, but me should be!"

Superman flew up and said, "Stop! We can't fight in the city! Someone will get hurt!"

"No!" cried Bizarro. "You save Luthor! You bad! Me no trust you!"

And he flew at Superman, a crazed look on his face. Superman was ready to defend himself, but Bizarro, in a rare bit of cunning, used fire breath and ice vision simultaneously. As the two elements collided the steam generated created an effective smokescreen, and Superman lost sight of him for just a moment. That was enough for Bizarro to land a good solid hit to Superman's torso, sending him flying towards the ground.

As he flew backwards Superman tried to stop, then turned around to make certain he wouldn't' collide with anyone. He would. He was about to crash into a pickup truck.

A truck with Ma and Pa Kent inside.

No, though Superman, stop!

And with all his might he tried to slow down.

down.


	57. Chapter 57

Superman: The Ark of Krypton

Chapter 57

by

Jason Richard

Superman couldn't stop in time. He collided with the side of the truck, knocking it over. Finally he managed to lose some momentum, giving him time to catch the truck before it started rolling. He put it down and looked inside. Pa Kent looked fine, if a little rattled. Ma Kent, however, wasn't conscious.

"No," said Superman, flying around and ripping the door off. He quickly scanned her with his X-Ray vision. There didn't seem to be any broken bones, but he wasn't a doctor, so he didn't trust his assessment, X-Ray vision or no.

"Martha," said Pa Kent, looking around with a confused look, until he saw her. "Martha! Is she okay!?"

"Seems fine," said Superman, "But I need to get her to a doctor. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," said Jonathan. "Go!"

Superman did give him the once over with X-Ray vision, and then flew her away.

Bizarro, meanwhile, watched the scene while flying high above, and felt his heart breaking, knowing he had done this. He very slowly descended until his feet touched the pavement, and then he sank to his knees, tears forming under his eyes.

It was in that state that Lois Lane first got a good look at the Clone. Hearing about the commotion she had of course rushed to the scene, knowing that this would be a big story...though part of her hoped this wouldn't distract from the corrupt Lexcorp story she was already running with. Then she saw the poor creature. She almost didn't have the heart to remain professional. Almost.

Jimmy Olson also approached the scene with his camera as a crowd began to gather around the scene, everyone both intrigued and frightened by the clone's appearance. They both watched as Bizarro very slowly approached Jonathan Kent, who was still in a daze.

"Me sorry," said the Clone. "Me sorry, Me not mean it...Me sorry…"

"Look...slow down," said Jonathan, who still wasn't sure what happened. "What do you…"

"Me make it better, me promise," said Bizarro. "Me powerful! Me find way to turn back time and make her not hurt anymore!"

"Whoa! Whoa!" said Jonathan. "Let's not do anything reckless now! Not even Cla...Superman can turn back time."

"He never try!" cried the Clone, getting excited. "I know! Time of day is where sun is in sky! If I make sun set backwards, I set back time of day!"

"Please," said Jonathan. "It doesn't work like that. Besides, how…"

"Turn Earth away from sun!" cried the Clone. "That will make sun go backwards!"

And frustratingly Bizarro flew upside down, put his hands on the pavement, and tried to push the earth away from the sun. It was a rather embarrassing sight as all the Clone accomplished was breaking the pavement beneath his hands. When the Clone realized this he hung upside down in the air and started to cry again.

"Uh…" said Jonathan, feeling nervous with more people crowding around this scene. "Listen…"

"I know!" cried Bizarro suddenly, spinning around. "Me know how to make Earth go backwards! Just wait!"

And with that the Clone flew off, blasting into the distance, leaving Jonathan Kent very confused. Lois Lane, not understanding at all what was going on, hoped to find learn more about this as she stepped up with her tape recorder.

"Excuse me sir," said Lois. "Would you like to give a statement…"

"No, I need to go see to my wife," said Jonathan, walking off. It would be a great story either way, but Lois still found herself frustrated. Who was this man, and how did this clone seem to know him?

…

Little did Lois or Jonathan Kent realize that Bizarro could do more harm than anyone realized. Desperate to undo his mistake, he thought about how to enact this plan of his.

When he flew he disturbed the air in his path, making things fly after him, if only for a moment. Perhaps if he flew around the Earth fast enough the earth would follow him in the same way, and then he could turn it back and turn back time. Of course Superman would have told him that such a thing was impossible, but Superman wasn't there. Bizarro figured that since the sun rose brought the morning, flying away from the sun would turn the Earth away from the sun, so that's what he decided to do.

So off he flew, flying as fast as he could, and within moments he broke the sound barrier, sending a shockwave that shattered glass within several miles radius, faster and faster he flew, to the point where he could be at the ocean within moments.. Little did he know it, but that small bit of destruction was just a prelude to the calamity his actions had the potential to cause.

 **...**

 **A message from the Author.**

Hey everyone,

I just wanted to make this clear. Yes the Clone's plan here is a reference to the original 1978 film starring Christopher Reeves, which is still an enjoyable film after all these years. Of course I'm taking this version in a very different direction. Bizarro won't actually be turning back time, but he will end up doing something else. Anyway, I knew people would probably make the connection, so I wanted to make my feelings on the movie clear. I don't think that ending makes sense, but the rest of the movie is a lot of fun.

As always, thanks for reading.


	58. Chapter 58

Superman: The Ark of Krypton

Chapter 58

by

Jason Richard

Superman dropped Ma Kent off at the hospital, then retreated so he could come back as Clark Kent. It was as he was flying to a remote place that he started to feel the weight of what had just happened. He had seriously hurt someone he cared about. He couldn't believe it. What were Ma and Pa even doing in Metropolis? After all this time, after how careful he had been to make certain no one got hurt because of him...finally someone had gotten hurt.

He found an alley and flew down, but just leaned against the brick wall for a moment. He could only pray that his mother was okay as he prepared to change back into Clark. But then…

"Kal-El," said JLAI 13. It was that same frequency the AI had used before, the only that only beings like Superman could hear. "I am contacting you over a rather troubling development. I'm not certain why, but your clone has begun something that will likely end in disaster. You may wish to stop him."

…

Faster and Faster Bizarro flew, and within five minutes had reached the ocean. In truth he could tell things were following him. Litter, fallen leaves, water, it all moved just a little as he moved past. What he didn't know was that with his sheer speed air moved out of his way, but couldn't get behind him in time, creating a vacuum that was beginning to pull things towards it. Bizarro didn't understand the implications of this, but was convinced he'd start turning the world away any moment down. He did attract something.

But it wasn't the earth. It was the ocean beneath him that started getting pulled after him.

…

After quickly flying back to his apartment and getting the communicator Superman demanded more information from his trusty AI.

"What do you mean a vacuum?" he said into the tablet like device.

"Just what I mean," said the AI. "He's going way faster in Earth's atmosphere than you ever have, creating a vacuum effect, attracting anything of a certain weight within a mile's radius."

"What's that going to do?" asked Superman.

"Not much over land," said the AI. "Though some minor property damage across the country will be inevitable. The real problem is now that he's over the ocean. The water he's attracting is building, and will continue to build as his speed continues to build. If he continues…"

"No…" said Superman, shaking his head, "He's creating a tidal wave."

…

Poor Bizarro, still distraught from his mistake, didn't notice the wall of water that began forming behind him. If he had he would have stopped immediately, but he was determined to undo his mistake, not knowing that he was making an even bigger mistake.

...

"A massive tidal wave," said the AI. "Given his speed it's difficult to tell which direction he's going, but by my best estimates he'll collide with one of the Philippine Islands very soon."

"Okay," said Superman in frustration. "Tell me how to catch up to him without creating a vacuum of my own."

"You will have to fly outside of Earth's atmosphere," said the AI. "You will be able to match his speed without making a vacuum, and even go faster without wind resistance and gravity slowing you down."

"Can I even survive in space?" asked Superman desperately..

"At your currently mastery of your powers you still need a steady supply of oxygen," said the AI. "You will have to hold your breath...though that shouldn't be a problem for you."

Superman, sighed and said. "Well. I can't waste time."

He took a deep breath, flew outside his apartment, and then flew straight up. Within minutes he was up in the atmosphere, had broken the sound barrier, and was all they way in space. The first thing he noticed was that he did feel a little pressure from his lungs.

The second things he noticed was the planet Earth beneath him. He'd never flown this far out before, and seeing Earth suspended in a starry void would have been an awe inspiring experience if his need right now wasn't so great. Using his telescopic vision he saw Bizarro flying across the ocean, the tidal wave forming behind him. He flew over, getting between the Clone and his ultimate destination faster than he thought he would, then looked down, preparing for what he needed to do.

His previous attempts to reason with the clone had failed, so Superman knew there was only one way to stop him. Silently, he said to the clone in his mind, _I'm sorry,_ and dove, flying back down into the atmosphere, his body surrounded by flames as he dove. Down and down he went, getting closer and closer, wincing as he pulled his fist back, knowing he didn't want to do this. Closer and closer he got to the Clone, and at the last moment Bizarro looked up.

Superman closed his eyes.

His fist collided with the Clone's face, making a sound like thunder that cracked across the ocean, sending a shockwave that rippled the waves as Bizarro crashed into the water. Sadly the tidal wave that formed behind Bizarro didn't stop, but passed over Superman.

As he shook the water out of his eyes he looked over and saw the wave continuing on it's path. It began to slow without Bizarro leading it. It didn't slow enough, however, and Superman could see the Philippine Islands not too far away. Sure enough there was a city right in it's path. As distraught as he was about what he just had to do, he knew he had to stop this...but how?


	59. Chapter 59

Superman: The Ark of Krypton

Chapter 59

by

Jason Richard

All across the Philippine city people saw the wave and panicked, running for their lives. There had been no warning...chance to prepare. One moment they were going along, minding their own business, and suddenly a wall of water was speeding towards them.

Superman, watching the scene unfold, wondered what to do. He couldn't just punch or push a wall of water. Thinking quickly, his first thought was to use his hurricane like breath to blow the water back, but he'd have to do it all at once, and the wall of water was too wide. If he used ice breath it could freeze the water, but if it didn't stop in time it would just crush everyone under a wall of ice. He thought he might use his heat vision to vaporize the water, but then instead of a wall of water drowning them, it would be a cloud of steam burning them.

He had only one option. He had to use both. He would vaporize the water with his heat vision, then cool the steam with his ice breath, which would also slow it down if not stop it outright. That was his best plan, and he had no time to lose.

He flew to one side of the tidal wave and got in front of it. He then took a deep breath, making a vortex of wind as it all flew into his lungs. Keeping all that air in he charged his heat vision, then flew, blasting the wall of water with an intense blast from his eyes as wide as he could make it, at the same time unleashing his ice breath on what was left over. As he flew down the length of this massive wave, starting at one end and working his way to the other, his combo of hot and cold successfully changed the water to a cool mist at the point of contact.

The people of the city stopped running as they saw it, the water vaporizing. Soon half of it was just a mist, and then just as quickly Superman had covered the entire length, and now it was a mass of cool vapor rushing towards them.

The next moment it hit, like a cold wind threatening to blow them away. Debris scattered, animals run and hid, and people inside closed their doors. People outside grabbed hold of nearby objects to keep themselves steady. Superman flew into the city, quickly catching people and getting them something to hold onto as the the mist blasted through the city.

And then it was over, the mist finally stopped and settled over everything. People got up, shaken, but not hurt as Superman was happy to observe. The worst thing was that everyone was rather drenched in water now, but at least no one was hurt.

In fact, as Superman flew above to make absolutely certain everyone was safe, the people began to applaud, thanking Superman for saving them. Superman, glad everyone here was alright, bowed in the air, accepting their thanks. He couldn't feel too glad, however. While everyone inside the city was fine, he had one more person to check on.

Once the applause died down Superman discreetly flew away back to the ocean. There he looked for his clone, and found him quickly. Bizarro floated on the ocean, lying on his back, a sad look on his face. That didn't concern Superman as much as his breathing. The Clone was gasping for breath as he lay there on the ocean.

Superman, with great concern, flew down and gathered the clone up in his arms. He didn't know what was wrong, but hopefully he knew someone who would. As quickly as he dared, he flew Bizarro to the North Pole.

…

Not long afterwards Bizarro lay on a table in the Ark of Krypton's medical bay, a room filled with 50 beds and strange medical equipment installed in the ceiling. That equipment scanned the clone, blue light dancing over him. No matter what the machines did the Clone didn't seem to get any better.

And Superman, standing by his bedside, could see it.

"It's not good," said JLAI 13. "This clone had markers installed in his DNA that eject the foreign DNA from his system. He is effectively becoming human, and has been since before his recent flight. The attempt to fly at those speeds put stress on his body, stress that became more and more severe the faster he tried to go. With his alien DNA intact he would have survived, but that that DNA deteriorating…"

"I get the idea," said Superman. "Is there anything we can do?"

"A blood transfusion from a suitable donor...you...may help him revert back to a kryptonian state and repair the damage, but it isn't certain."

Superman took a deep breath and said, "Alright, just help my contact my parents so I can check on them, then let's get started."

…

Martha Kent was fine. A little shaken up, and she had a bruise on her head, but she was going to be fine. Sitting in the hospital bed with her head bandaged she waited patiently for Clark or Jonathan to arrive. Somehow she knew Clark wouldn't be the first to arrive. He would inevitably have something else to deal with.

Sure enough Jonathan walked right in, without Clark.

"Martha," said Jonathan, walking over and grasping her hands in his. "How are you feeling?"

"Much better," said Martha. "Where's Clark? And where is...where is the Clone?"

Jonathan sighed and said, "I just got a call from Clark. We have some...well...bad news."

…

So back at the ship Clark had his arm attached to a strange tube connected to a futuristic device. He sat at the bedside of Bizarro, whose arm was also connected to the device. The Clone had gone to sleep, his eyes shifting erratically beneath his eyelids. Superman took a deep breath.

"Alright, let's do this."

Red sunlight filled the room so the machine could pierce Superman's skin. Moments later, blood was flowing through the tube, out of Superman's arm, and into the clone. Before long, they'd know if it worked.


	60. Chapter 60

Superman: The Ark of Krypton

Chapter 60

by

Jason Richard

The transfusion took only a few minutes, and moments later Superman paced back and forth in the medical wing of that ship. He was glad that his Pa gave him good news about Ma's health, which was a huge load off his mind. He was certain it would be a load of his Clone's mind as well, if the Clone got better that is.

The wait was agony. Partially because he didn't want the poor thing to suffer, but also because he didn't know what he would do if the Clone actually did survive. The Clone couldn't be controlled. He was too childlike and emotional...impossible to reason with. He didn't like it, but something would have to be done about the clone eventually.

But such thinking turned out to be moot, as finally JLAI 13 spoke up.

"I'm sorry Kal-El," he said. "It didn't work. The Clone is dying."

Superman took a deep breath and said, "A...alright. Thank you."

He walked over to the Clone's bedside and waited. The Clone looked up from his medical bed mournfully, his eyes wet with tears.

"This punishment?" he asked. "For I almost hurt city people? Adn Ma?"

"No," said Superman, shaking his head. "No of course not." he hesitated, then said, "These things just...happen sometimes."

The Clone looked away and said, "This better. Fake Superman not get in way of Real one."

"Don't say that," said Superman. "I had a few near misses myself when my powers first developed. If I hadn't of been careful I could have hurt people too. It took time to learn how to use it well. I'm sure you could have have to if…"

He stopped. He was going to say if the Clone had more time, but he figured he didn't want to mention that issue...not when his time was so little.

"Thank you," said the Clone, still crying. "You nice man. Much nicer than me."

Superman sighed, and decided to at least give him some good news.

"I forgot to mention," said Superman. "Ma was fine. A little bruised in the head, but nothing she won't recover from."

The Clone brightened up a little, even as his gasp of happiness became hoarse and scratchy, "Really?" he said in a garbled voice, his body deteriorating fully now. "That good. I so happy. You tell her I sorry. Please."

"I will," said Superman. "I'm sure she'll forgive you."

For a moment, just a moment, the Clone smiled, then his eyes glazed over, closed, and he breathed his last. Superman silently, and solemnly, closed his own eyes and lowered his head.

…

Superman figured he wouldn't have time for a proper funeral, and he didn't want to risk the body falling into the wrong hands. Someone unscrupulous mind unlock the secret of Kryptonian power. Therefore Superman loaded the Clone's body into a pod and had the AI aim it at the sun. Before he launched he he looked at the Clone, behind glass in the wall. He looked surprisingly peaceful.

Then with a heavy sigh and pressed a button and shot the pod into space. Within the hour it would reach the sun for a fiery burial.

…

He wished it was under better circumstances, but Clark finally found time to visit his mother in the hospital. He walked into her room and gave her a nervous smile when he saw her lying in the hospital bed. She looked up at him brightened up.

"Clark," she said. "How are you dear?"

"Oh Ma," he said. "I should really be asking you that."

"I'm fine dear," she said. "Thanks for asking."

Jonathan Kent sat at Martha Kent's bedside, and he gave Clark a smile as nervous as Clark's own.

"Hey son," said Jonathan. "So how is...you know…"

"The clone," said Superman, sighing and shaking his head. "He didn't make it."

"Oh I see," said Martha, her eyes downcast. "I'm sorry to hear that."

"I wish I could have done more to help him," said Clark. "I just…"

"Didn't know what to do?" said Jonathan Kent. "I don't think any of us did."

"You know Clark," said Martha, "When it...he...stayed with us he accidentally set fire to something and I got a minor burn. When he rushed away and brought back the first aid kid I could have sworn I was looking an eight year old you again...in spirit anyway. He gave me the same guilty look you did when you threw a baseball threw the kitchen window...and it landed right on the stove, knocking over a pan and spilling dinner all over the floor."

Jonathan laughed, "I remember that. You fessed right up...knees shaking the whole time."

"I wish I could forget that," said Clark, shaking his head. "I wonder if I would have made things better or worse had I had my powers then."

"Who knows?" said Jonathan. "Who knows. Listen...Clark...don't beat yourself up about this. Everyone runs into problems they don't have a solution to from time to time. Even you."

"Yeah," said Clark. "It's amazing how often I forget that. And Ma, before I forget, the Clone wanted me to tell you he was sorry for...well you know."

"It's alright," she said, sighing. "I've already forgiven him."

…

So Clark finally made it back to the Daily Planet now that he knew his mother was fine. Perry White greeted him with a grunt, but otherwise didn't say anything. He and Lois were able to finish the article before the day's end, but Clark still figured there was one more thing that needed to be done...though not as Clark Kent.

Once they were done he excused himself, changed into Superman, then flew outside the window, knocking on the door. Lois saw him and grinned. She knew this had to be good.

Once the window was opened and everyone at the Daily Planet was listening, Superman said, "Hello everyone, I'd like to give a statement about today's events."


	61. Chapter 61

Superman: The Ark of Krypton

Chapter 61

by

Jason Richard

So the Daily Planet ran the story the next day. Superman had filled in all the blanks, and that morning the world came to know about the clone, Luthor's hand in its creation, and his connection to Bruno Mannheim. For those who weren't certain about Luthor's corruption, they finally had an answer. For those who were already certain, they now had all the validation they would ever need.

Of course the police, having been presented with all the applicable evidence, and made their way straight towards Lexcorp tower.

When they got there, however, they didn't find Lex Luthor. The cops burst into the office to find Mercy Graves sitting in his chair, filing her nails as she reclined back with her legs crossed. When she looked up she gave the police a big smirk.

"Hello, gentlemen," she said. "Lex isn't here, but I'd be happy to assist you with anything you need."

She couldn't help but snigger.

…

Later that day Mercy Graves made a call with a slightly less pleasant mood.

"Lex," she said into the phone.

"Mercy," said Lex Luthor, delighted to hear her voice. "How's the acting CEO of Lexcorp? Until I return of course."

"Fine," she said. "Fine. How are you on your secret island retreat?"

"Magnificent," said Luthor. "Absolutely magnificent, but Mercy? Is something wrong? I'm detecting apprehension in your voice."

"You're on the run from the law," she replied, thinking it should be obvious. "As much as I love trolling the police...and believe that was pretty satisfying...I'm worried about you. I've been afraid of you, angry at you, and even in awe of the things you've accomplished, but never worried. I think you may be in over your head this time."

"Nonsense," said Luthor. "On the contrary, things are looking up. Lytener's research provided just the method we need to subdue our extraterrestrial visitor. Every Achilles has his heel, and we've found Superman's. With a little refinement our technology will give us the edge and we can take the secret of his power for our own. Worry not my dear. I, as usual, have everything under control."

"For your sake I hope so," said Mercy, feeling a little reassured. Then she added teasingly. "Just hope I don't get to used to being CEO, or you may find coming back a little...difficult."

Luthor just laughed and replied, "Mercy my dear, I think we both know that will never happen."

And he hung up. Mercy couldn't help but smirk. Lex, as usual, was right.

Well, mostly right.

…

Clark sat in the Ark of Krypton control room, watching more footage documenting his biological father's work. Jor-El walked down a corridor, looking over some information on a portable device not unlike a tablet, when someone came up behind him.

"Jor-El," said the stranger. "That is you, isn't it?"

Jor-El turned around in surprise and said, "Yes. Who are you?"

"I am general Dru-Zod," he said, saluting with his fist over his chest.

"Oh yes," said Jor-El, returning the salute. "I've heard of you. Quite an accomplished war hero, if what I've heard is true."

"You flatter me," said Zod, giving his most charming smile.

Jor-El gave him a closer look. Zod was an intense looking man with a cleft in his chin, broad shoulders, and a fierce look in his eye. Jor-El seemed apprehensive talking to him.

"Anyway," said Zod. "I wanted to talk to you about your...ahem...top secret project."

Jor-El gave an exasperated sigh.

"I'm sorry," said Zod, confused. "Is that a problem?"

"No," said Jor-El, rubbing his temples. "Everyone's been asking about that non stop since I first let the council know. I'm sure you have the proper clearance and all. It's just...we might be close to finding out where our powers come from, but really the council and the science guild are still considering if we want to open that box at all. Getting the powers of our ancestors back is not something we want to jump into lightly."

Zod nodded and said, "Believe me, I fully understand, but you may wish to consider something. Krypton may have...enemies approaching it...enemies that will be difficult...impossible even...to fight with conventional means. I can't say more out in the open, but I can forward the details. Our ancestor's power, I think, will be our best chance of survival."

"We've fought in wars before," said Jor-El. "But right now we only fight in defense of the planet. What if having that power back tempts us to behave the way our ancestors did. All not getting those powers back will mean is that things stay as they are."

"Yes," said Zod, "With our soldiers dying in battle, and me having to give the bad news to many a family. Listen to me, Jor-El, I have two very good reasons for thinking we should go through with this. First, I have studied the powers in question. While they may have been used for ill in the past, but we are a more civilized society now. With this kind of power we need not fight at all. Once our enemies see that they cannot hurt us any aggression against us would be pointless."

Jor-El looked at Zod suspiciously and asked, "And your other reason?"

Zod looked him right in the eye and said, "There are other species, aggressive species, that have those same kind of powers...and they will not ignore Krypton forever."

Jor-El frowned, but nodded, saying, "I'll look it over, and if I think you're right we can talk to the council together.

Zod seemed pleased with this as he said, "Thank you. I'm certain you will ultimately agree with me."

Though as the two men went their separate ways Jor-El seemed to have his doubts. His face was lined with worry and indecision, and who could blame him.

Clark, meanwhile, as he sat in the Ark control room, couldn't help but wonder at the question.

"Kal-El?" said JLAI 13. "Is something troubling you? I'm detecting irregular vital signs."

"Wait," said Clark, confused. "You can tell my mood by scanning me?"

"Naturally," said the AI. "Elevated emotions can generated excess stress on your body, causing certain biological functions to work with less efficiency. These changes in biological function are easily detected by my systems."

"Huh," said Clark. "Well, to answer your question, I'm wondering what I would have told my biological father. You know, about these powers? He seemed to have spent a lot of time wondering if the Kryptonians should pursue them. As someone who has those powers now, I honestly don't know what I would tell him to do."

"Do you dislike having your abilities?" asked the AI.

"Not at all," said Superman. "I love that I can help people the way I do. It's just...I see how much someone like Lex Luthor wants these powers, and will do anything to get them. Then there's the clone, who actually did have the powers, and even had good intentions, but just couldn't control himself and caused trouble. I like the powers, but sometimes I wonder if they're more trouble than they're worth. This Dru-Zod from that video, is he like me, who would use such powers to actually help people? He is like the clone, who means well but could cause chaos? Or is he like Luthor, everything he says a means to his own nefarious end?"

"The truth is closer to the latter I'm afraid," said the AI. "As I'm sure you'll see soon enough. But I fail to see the conundrum. Logically speaking these powers are neither what you would consider good or evil. On Krypton Zod tried to gain those powers to stage a coup d'etat, but those powers would have been exactly the same as your own, the only difference being behind the men behind them."

"True," said Clark. "But my father couldn't have known what who would raise me or what kind of person I'd be."

"No," said the AI. "He couldn't have. You could have been raised by a criminal who decided to use you for his own ends. The fact that this is possible, however, should not discourage you. For the sake of your emotional health it would be better if you were thankful that this didn't happen. You were fortunate to be raised as you were."

"You know what," said Superman, feeling better, "You're right. And I'm sure if the Clone had gotten the help he needed he could have turned out alright."

"Very good," said the AI. "Your stress levels are correcting themselves as we speak."

"Well thank you," said Clark, hesitating before he said, "Brainiac."

"You've decided to go with the Clone's moniker for me?" asked the AI.

"I did want to give you an actual name," said Clark. "And...it's kind of growing on me."

"Very well," said the newly named AI. "Brainiac it is then."

Clark nodded and said, "Thanks again."


	62. Chapter 62

Superman: The Ark of Krypton

Chapter 62

by

Jason Richard

At the top floor of the Daily Planet, an office party was going on. Proof of Lex Luthor's corruption? This was the biggest story in a decade. Perry White rarely allowed this sort of thing, but he was in a good mood. A table was set up, people brought food, and someone even had some music going.

Perry white was in such a good mood he stood outside his office, lifted his glass, and said, "Everyone! I'd like to propose a toast to Lois Lane and Clark Kent, the duo who brought us this story."

Applause sounded throughout the office as Lois and Clark basket the the praise...mostly Lois, as Clark was a little too modest to let people praise him for too long, though it was nice to think about the good side of this whole clone mess. Lex Luthor was on the run, and if Superman took him in, there probably wouldn't be any complaints.

"Oh," said Lois as she talked with others around the office. "That judge who dismissed Mannheim, citing wrongful arrest because." she made a mocking voice "Superman is technically a non-citizen...he was dismissed himself in a sweet piece of irony. No proof, but I don't doubt for a second the guy was on Luthor's payroll Besides, even if he wasn't, letting Mannheim go is guaranteed to end any career. Am I right?"

Speaking of ending careers, Clark thought, is that Edward Lytener?

With his super hearing he heard the man on the bottom floor. Apparently Lytener was trying to talk his way past the receptionist and wanted to speak to Lois, but he obviously wasn't allowed in the building. Clark quickly excused himself and went downstairs. He knew Lytener was Lois's source within Lexcorp, so if he was here, and he was as upset as he seemed, this was probably important.

Back down in the Lobby Clark approached, and Lytener looked even more rattled up close.

"Look," said Lytener. "Can you at least give her a message? She's not answering her cell"

"That's because she doesn't want to be disturbed." said Clark, walking up. "It's kind of a big day for her...not really the best time for bad news." he turned to the receptionist and said, "I'll take care of this." Then back to Lytener, whispering. "You're Edward Lytener, Lois's Lexcorp contact? I'm Clark Kent. Maybe I can help."

"The other person who wrote that article," said Lytener, thinking it over. "I don't know…"

Clark Led Lytener to a corner and spoke quietly, "You look like you're in trouble, big trouble. I'd like to help if I can."

Edward relaxed a little. This Clark seemed like a really nice guy. "Ok. As you know I've been leaking information to Lois but...recently...I got cornered by Luthor."

"He doesn't know about…" Clark began.

"No," said Lytener. "No he doesn't know what I've been doing for Lois it's just...he had me build something. The recent article didn't mention this, but Luthor has access to lasers that can drain Superman's power. I mean it was used on that clone that went nuts, but it probably works on Superman to."

This was the man responsible for that? He was clearly a brilliant scientist, and Clark, who of course was really Superman, felt a little wary talking to him, but then again the man seemed so distraught by all of this that Clark had trouble hating him for it.

"I mean Lex Luthor just walked right into my office," Lytener continued erratically. "Right after I gave Lois the big scoop. I was terrified he knew I'd done it...and I know he has criminal connections. He could have made me disappear. I mean I think I hid my terror well but it's Lex Luthor, you never know. I panicked and did what he asked and...oh man I handed him the power to hurt Superman, a guy I've seen pictures of where he's literally pulling a kitten out of a tree. What does that make the guy who hurts a guy like that? If people find out I'll never live it down, my life will be pretty much over...and what if someone takes down Superman? What if Superman is hurt and suddenly another abomination of science attacks and there's nothing we can do and ti will be all my fault and…"

"Okay," said Clark, trying to think of what they could both do to get out of this situation, "Okay, take a deep breath and calm down." Lytener did so and Clark continued. "I get it, you felt stuck in a difficult position and now you want out. Does Lexcorp still have this tech?"

"No," said Lytener. "I checked. Luthor must have taken it with him. I checked Lexcorp very thoroughly after he was exposed. Not a sign of the lasers, or the blueprints and notes needed to make them."

"That's good," said Clark, rubbing his chin. "He may think the technology is safest with him, but in his hands it's the weapons of a criminal, and Superman can deal with the tech without it being protected by Lexcorp's lawyers. If I can get a message to Superman, he can probably find the tech and deal with it. Your name need not be mentioned at all. Once that is done, we can put all this behind us."

"You'd do that?" asked Lytener hopefully.

"Of course," said Clark as friendly as he could. "We couldn't have gotten the story that exposed Luthor if it wasn't for you. I'll do what I can to help you."

And so will Superman, he thought. He was worried about Luthor having tech that could hurt him, but he really did want to help Edward Lytener.

Lytener breathed a sigh of relief, "Thank you," said Lytener. "Thank you so much."

…

On the outskirts of Metropolis in the dead of night a man in a business suit drove down the highway, the city lights twinkling in the distance as he passed trees on either side of the road. He was just minding his own business, hoping to get home before it was too late in the evening, when…

KABOOM!

Something exploded ot his left, causing him to swerve and nearly go off road into the ditch. He managed to stop on the roadside, taking deep breaths. What on Earth was that?

Something not of this earth.

Moments later the smoke cleared, and at the point of the explosion he could see something that he was certain was a spaceship, freshly landed. It was a menacing looking thing, shaped vaguely like a tank and covered in deadly spikes. It was an intimidating machine…

But not half as intimidating as the figure that walked out of it.

From a door extended a ramp, and the ship's owner sauntered down it. At first one could be forgiven for mistaking this guy for a rock star. He had pale white skin with pitch black highlights around his eyes. His hair was long, wild, and shaggy, and he wore a jacket and pants vaguely like leather, though it looked about as thick as an armored car's hull. On his back he had some sort of futuristic weapon that resembled a double barrel shotgun, white over his shoulder and around his torso he had a long chain with a hook on the end.

And at the sight of him the man in the care shook with terror, for this thing, whatever it was, was taller than anyone the man had ever seen, a true behemoth. It also only took a second to realize that his pale skin and dark highlights weren't painted on. It was his skin, meaning this freakish looking man was an alien.

And this alien grinned sadistically.

"Hey you," said the alien in a gruff voice, pointing to the man in the car. "I'm looking for some guy called looper man in medropolip. Where is he?"

Assuming the alien was talking about Superman, he pointed a shaking finger towards metropolis, and the outlandish alien grinned and whistled. From the ship some sort of spiky rocket bike flew over. He jumped on it, pulled the weapon off his back and shouted, "Yeah!" as he sped away, shooting his double barrel laser gun up into the air.

The man in the car, meanwhile, didn't know whether to feel relieved, or more terrified than he already was.

 **...**

 **...**

 **...**

Happy New Year everyone!

Jason.


	63. Chapter 63

Superman: The Ark of Krypton

Chapter 63

by

Jason Richard

 **30 hours earlier.**

In the far reaches of space, near the gamma sector, a diamond asteroid belt circled a massive solar system. A unique phenomenon in the universe, these asteroids were made of pure carbon crystal, and glittered in the light of that system's sun. For thousands of years its origin was a thing of mystery, it's galactic significance that of sacred space, and its view a rite of passage for many an extraterrestrial species coming of age.

And Lobo the bounty hunter was going to love blowing it up.

"Showtime!" the giant, extraterrestrial, heavy metal biker dude said from the cockpit of his cruiser as his weapons charged. It would take a few moments once the laser cannons were ready and his faster than light drive was charged to 25% power, but once he was…

It was ready.

"LET'S DO THIS!" He cried as his ship sped at amazing speed threw the cluster of giant space diamonds, blasting them to dust with his laser cannons.

"YEAH!" he cried, throwing his fist in the air. He was having a great time. Within half a micron he had reduced the entire thing to dust.

"Guess that's a dust belt now," said Lobo, pulling some sort of drink from a jug and chugging it like there was no tomorrow. A few drops spilled to the floor, and proved to be acidic as it fizzled and melted the metal surface, just a little.

At that moment he got a call. His vidscreen showed some sort of alien, but hidden in the shadows.

"Lobo," said a deep, menacing voice. "What possible reason could you have had to destroy the diamond asteroid belt?"

"I felt like blowing something up," said Lobo, wiping the corrosive liquid off his face. "What more reason do I need?"

The alien sighed and said, "Regardless, I have a job for you."

On another view screen Lobo saw the details. He was to get the Ark of Krypton, a ship that landed on a planet called earth and was protected by a powerful being known as Superman. He was to get a little extra if Superman could also be captured alive. Lobo skimmed most of it, and the part that caught his eye was the money amount.

"That's a lotta cash," said Lobo, grinning as he stroked his chin. "Don't worry, I'll get your little Ark. The Main Man is on the case."

…

 **Present Day.**

"So that's the gist of it," said Clark as he leaned over the porch railing. He stood with his Earth parents Jonathan and Martha Ken on the porch of their farmhouse watching the sun go down. Things were bearing down on Clark these days, but it was nice to have someone to go to for advice.

"Alright," said Jonathan as he and martha sat back on the rocking chairs. "So what's bothering you about this? Seems like this Lytener is trying to do the right thing."

"That's true," Clark. "But I wonder if **I'm** doing the right thing. I mean...should I destroy the weapons completely? What if there are other species out there that are hostile with powers like mine, and the red sun lasers are the only way to stop them? I can protect the earth, sure, but not from an army of things as strong as me."

"Oh Clark," said Martha Kent, laughing. "I can't believe you're worried about this. How many aliens have visited Earth since you arrived? I think you're the only one."

"But they're out there," said Clark, turning back to them. "Braniac said so, and I've no reason to doubt him."

"Well," said Jonathan, "You certainly can't let that technology stay with Lex Luthor. You could...I don't know...take the weapons, but save the designs on your ark? It would be the safest place for them, and then they'd be there if you needed them."

"That makes sense," said Clark, sighing. "I just hope people trust me after this."

"Some will," said Martha, standing and putting her hand on his shoulder. "Some won't. You can't control that. All you can do is make sure you are worthy of being trusted...which you are. I can't think of anyone else I'd trust with all this. If others can't see that, then that's their problem."

Superman smiled and said, "Thanks Ma, and thanks Pa."


	64. Chapter 64

Superman: The Ark of Krypton

Chapter 64

by

Jason Richard

Superman's hearing was amazing, allowing him to even hear things on the other side of the world. However, it did have one limitation, and that was when he was sleeping. Brainiac told him he shouldn't need sleep with his power, but despite that Clark still felt the need to...sometimes. Nights were a bit inconsistent for him as to whether or not he felt the need to sleep. Maybe every other night...give or take a few.

When he actually did sleep things outside a certain radius were too quiet for even him to notice. If a robbery or something was happening in Metropolis the gunshots would usually wake him up, but anything outside the city could usually go unnoticed.

This is why when Lobo pretty much crash landed outside Metropolis Superman didn't notice him. Clark Kent was asleep at the time, and after that crash Lobo didn't really do anything that would get his attention.

Except go around the city asking people where Superman lived.

The first person he saw was a homeless guy on a park bench, "Hey you," said the gigantic alien. "Where's this Looper Man live?"

Shaking at this very intimidating looking aline, the man just said, "N...no one knows...I...I mean it's a...a secret."

No one knew? Oh well. Lobo figured he would just have to bring this guy to him, and he held up his laser rifle,

…

While this was going on Superman paid a visit to Star Labs. Dr. Hamilton greeted him enthusiastically as Superman followed him down the facility's corridors.

"I must say," said Superman. "I'm surprised you feel you're finished the the knowledge I've already brought you."

"Finished?" said Dr. Hamilton. "Hardly. We've only just begun testing the medical technology your ark provided, and we're nowhere ready for a working prototype of...any of it really. Still, we at least have a starting point on that front. So, what data have you brought us today?"

Superman held up a flash drive and said, "Scanning technology. I figure it could help predict natural disasters or other dangers to the planet."

"That will be good for public relations," said Dr. Hamilton, accepting the drive. "Though one thing people have been pressuring me to ask...safe renewable energy sources? What actually powers the Ark of Krypton?"

A substance Superman didn't want to mess with. Kryptonite. Kryptonian technology could easily contain the radiation, but Superman wanted that secret out even less than he wanted people knowing about his connection to red sun radiation.

"I have looked into it," said Superman. "But the substance required for Kryptonian power cells are...not in adequate supply for the kind of power production you're thinking of."

That was partially true. The amount of Kryptonite on the Ark could power that ship for many many years but it couldn't power the entire world for very long. Even so, Superman felt a little guilty for being even a little deceptive, especially upon noting Dr. Hamilton's disappointment. Also, if there was enough Kryptonite to power the entire world, would he actually share it? He wasn't certain.

"Well anyway," said Superman. "This scanner technology should be helpful for detecting threats to Earth. At the moment I can't really hear into space, so having a way to detect alien spacecraft approaching is something I'd like to get set up as soon as possible, preferably before a dangerous alien lands on Earth."

And from somewhere else in metropolis Superman heard Lobo shoot his laser rifle into the air, shouting, "Hey Looper Man! Come get me already!" as well as the screams of people running from the heavy metal alien.

Superman, turning around to look at the alien with his X-Ray telescopic vision, said, "I have to go." and sped out the building.

Within moments he was standing in front of Lobo with crossed arms and a stern expression.

Lobo turned and grinned sadistically, gripping his double barreled laser rifle in anticipation.

"Ah hah! Looper Man!" said Lobo.

"Superman," said the caped hero.

"Oh!" said the massive rocker alien, pretending to be apologetic as he aimed his weapon. "I'm sorry, Superman." he looked him over. "Funny, you don't look so super to me."

"What do you want?" asked Superman.

"You for starters," said Lobo. "And your ship. Gonna tell me where that is, or am I going to have to rough you up a bit."

Superman gave a side glance to the people who were watching. Even if they were keeping their distance, they were at risk. Superman wasn't going to stand for that.

"What's your name?" asked superman.

"Lobo," said the other alien. "Greatest Mercenary in the Universe."

"Well Lobo," said Superman. "You aren't taking me, you're not taking my ship, and you aren't hurting anyone on this planet."

Lobo laughed boisterously, "Oh, is that a threat little man?"

"No," said Superman. "Not a threat, just a fact."

Lobo laughed again. "Oh it's a fact huh? Well you got guts, I'll give you that, and you'll definitely need guts to go up against me."

And Lobo fired his weapon, and it was unlike any weapon Superman had faced on earth. The energy from both barrels of the weapon traveled as fast as Superman himself, hitting the hero full in the stomach and knocking him backwards almost twenty feet and making him roll on the pavement below.

As he stood up, actually feeling a little dazed, Lobo walked up, his weapon still pointed at Superman.

"Word of advice," said Lobo. "Before you start making heroic speeches, get your facts straight."

And he fired again.


	65. Chapter 65

Superman: The Ark of Krypton

Chapter 65

by

Jason Richard

Superman got up, feeling a little dazed from the laser blast. The next thing he knew a giant chain was wrapping around his torso, pinning his arms to his sides. A hook at the end caught, and then the entire chain tightened. Looking up Superman saw Lobo attach the chain to some sort of spiky hover bike.

The big man looked up, grinned, and said, "Let's go for a ride."

And he gunned the engines, pulling Superman forward through the city at high speed. Lobo laughed and screamed, "Yeah!" as he shot his laser rifle in the air some more.

Until his Hover bike jerked to a stop. Not that the thrusters weren't firing. They were, but something was holding the ship back. Lobo looked around and saw Superman, his arms crossed within the chains as he hovered there, the bike struggling to pull him forward but not budging him an inch.

"Huh," said Lobo, a little surprised by this.

The next moment Superman pulled his arms out, grabbed the chain, and flew up, dragging Lob's bike along with him. Lobo held on as Superman, high above the city, began spinning, swinging the bike around at incredible speed. Soon they were just a circular blur in the air until Lobo held onto the bike with hand and aimed his laser rifle with the other.

Lobo fired, and the two extra terrestrials went flying in opposite directions. Superman managed to stop himself before he landed, but Lobo's bike spun out of control and crashed in a field just outside city limits, kicking up dirt and making a small trench in the ground.

Lobo fell to the site, making a small crater where he landed. He got up, dazed, but the moment he was on his feet something whooshed around him at high speed, and suddenly he was wrapped in his own chains. Looking up in surprise he saw Superman hovering a few feet in the air, arms crossed and face stern.

Lobo laughed, "Okay, you're pretty tough." Lobo grunted, flexed his muscles, and broke the chains clean off. "Good. Haven't had a real fight in while now."

He lifted his Laser rifle, but within a split second Superman was behind him, holding that rifle while Lobo blinked in surprise, holding nothing but air.

"This weapon's laser blasts are fast," said Superman, bending the laser rifle in half and dropping it to the ground. "You aren't."

"You want speed?" said Lobo, pressing a button hidden in his glove.

Suddenly the bike roared to life and flew, smashing into Superman and sending him crashing into the ground. Lobo then ran up, jumped on the bike, and said, "I'll give you speed," as he pulled a laser pistol from his jacket and sped through the air, going at high speed in a circle as he began firing.

Dazed for a second, Superman flew up, hoping to lead Lobo farther away from the city. Lobo pursued, his hover bike surprisingly able to keep up with the Kryptonian. High above the city Lobo fired his laser pistol, his shots hitting surprisingly close as Superman dodged in the air. Superman turned around and shot his laser eyes at the bike, but despite lacking Super Speed himself Lobo had excellent reflexes, and was able to dodge on his hover bike.

The shot at each for a while as Lobo pursued Superman. They were far from Metropolis when Lobo managed to shoot Superman in the chest. With a flash as the red light collided Superman felt like a boulder had hit him and fell through the air, dazed. He tried to stop himself, but was hit by another blast. He tried again, and again, and again, but each time Lobo managed to shoot him.

Finally Superman landed in a field, making a small crater as he did. He got up, a little dazed, but Lobo pulled his hover bike up behind him and put his arm around Superman's neck. Superman could feel the heavy metal alien squeeze his neck, and though Superman struggled to pull the arm off Lobo seemed to equal him in strength.

"Nighty night Looper man," said Lobo, grinning from his bike as he pulled even harder. "Oh sorry, but you gotta earn a name like Superman. Heck, maybe I'll start telling people to call me Superman. How's that sound?"

Superman couldn't speak with Lobo's arm around his neck, so his reply was to grab his cape, twist it into a rope, throw it backwards over Lobo's head, and yank the alien forward, tossing him into the ground.

As Lobo lay there wondering what just happened Superman quickly grabbed the laser pistol to crush it in his hand and rushed the bike, punching it away and letting it crash and explode into oblivion.

Lobo got up and yelled, trying to punch Superman, but without his bike or the element of Surprise he had no way to keep up with Superman's speed, and as Superman blinked form one place to another Lobo's fists his nothing but air.

Lobo quickly realized he was out of options and stopped, chuckling. Superman just stood on the ground with his arms crossed and that same stern expression.

"Had enough?" said Superman.

"For now," said Lobo as he pressed a button on his glove. "But I'll be back...Superman."

And Lobo disappeared in a beam of light, surprising Superman. Some sort of teleportation technology? It didn't matter. Superman then heard a ship roar to life and take off far in the distance. Before he could decide what to do, however, the ship activate a faster than light drive and zipped out the Earth's atmosphere and into space. It was too late to chase it, so Superman was left to wonder where this alien came from and prepare for his next attack.

For surely, this guy wasn't about to quit now.


	66. Chapter 66

Superman: The Ark of Krypton

Chapter 66

by

Jason Richard

It lay deep in a valley somewhere in a South American jungle, hidden from only the most observant traveller. On the outside it looked like an impenetrable bunker, rusty and abandoned from disuse. On the inside, however, it was a mansion, filled with luxurious and extravagant decoration.

And within that mansion Lex Luthor sat at the dinner table, enjoying filet mignon and watching Superman's fight with the alien bounty hunter. He frowned, a little disappointed with what he was seeing. When he finished he pressed a button and soon Mercy Grave's face appeared.

"What is it Lex?" asked Mercy.

"A problem," said Lex. "I was planning to spread around the red sun technology and then put out a bounty on Superman's head. Dead or alive. I'm going to have to make that wanted alive."

"Seriously?" asked Mercy, unable to believe what she was hearing. "Just beating him once, even with the tech, will be tricky. You expect someone to contain him as well?"

"I am aware of the risk," said Luthor. "But this new alien changes things. It's only been a year since Superman went public, and already we have Aliens crashing on our doorstep."

Mercy caught on and said, "You think Superman will be the only person who can stand up to them."

"Of course he is," said Luthor, "I've been running the numbers through my head, and we couldn't do anything about this monstrosity any more than we could Superman. Is this alien bounty hunter weak to red sun energy? Doe she have another weakness? Does he have a weakness at all? Given a potentially infinite number of alien species with an infinite number of powers and/or weaknesses the only way to fight that power is with the same power. Until we can replicate that power Superman must stay alive to deal with this."

"And this bothers you?" asked Mercy.

"For so long I was unopposed," said Lex Luthor. "The world was my oyster. But now...with alien gods descending from the sky...I'm losing everything. Our black market operations cannot operate efficiently anymore."

"Our legal business is doing as well as ever," said Mercy.

"And I appreciate you running it my absence," said Lex. "But I'm an all or nothing kind of man. You know that."

"Well what are you going to do about it?" asked Mercy. "The situation is what it is. No sense pouting about it."

Luthor glared at him, but on the screen she just crossed her arms.

"We'll deal with Superman when we can," said Mercy. "Until then be patient. It's all you can do. And no, you can't do anything you want. Everyone has limits."

Her vid screen went blank and Lex Luthor was left alone. He thought, limits? Everyone? That's the whole point.

For Lex Luthor intended to one day have no limits, and he'd do anything to achieve that goal.

…

As Edward lytenerr worked on his project, going over blueprints for a new solar energy device, he was tired, distracted, and stressed out. He had seen the footage of Superman fighting that alien, and his own hand in helping Lex Luthor was weighing heavily on his mind. Now it wasn't just that he potentially sabotaged a good man, now he may have sabotaged the one person who can protect earth from threats like this.

If any of this every got out, he was ruined.

But then it wasn't his fault was it? He couldn't say no to Lex Luthor...at least not at that time. And if he wouldn't do it Luthor would have fired him and found someone who would. It was a no-win situation, and Lytener didn't know how to get out of it.

On his down time at work he found time to make a call. He noticed a few missed calls from Lois Lane, but he didn't answer them. The truth was he only wanted to talk to her because he didn't know where else to go. Now that this Clark Kent was helping him he found the idea of admitting to Lois that he helped Lex Luthor a very frightening thought indeed.

Naturally he called Clark Kent instead.

…

And Clark picked it up at the Daily Planet.

"Clark Kent, Daily Planet," he answered. Upon hearing Lytener's voice Clark spared a glance at Lois, busy working at her own desk, then quickly gave him his cell number and dismissed himself so he could talk to Lytener in private.

"Yes," said Superman. "I've managed to pass your information on to Superman, and he'd like to talk to you in person. Don't worry, he's not angry. He just wants to make certain your technology doesn't fall into the wrong hands. Okay. No, he'll find you. Alright."

Clark hung up and went back to his desk. Before he could even sit down someone spoke up.

"So," said Lois, turning her chair and giving him a suspicious look. "Who were you talking to?"

Clark Froze. Edward Lytener had mentioned he'd decided not to let Lois in on his connection to the red sun technology.

"My Pa," said Clark, sitting down.

"You're Pa didn't know your cell number?" asked Lois, her eyes narrowing. "That's the same phone you've had since you started working here."

"What does it matter?" asked Clark. "It was a personal call."

Lois still looked at him suspiciously but didn't press the matter and got back to work...or appeared to. In truth the receptionist had mentioned to her that Edward Lytener had been looking for her, but Clark intercepted him. After that, Edward hadn't been returning her calls.

What on Earth was Clark Kent up to?

…

Lobo, on his ship a few light years away from earth, excitedly let a delivery pod into his ship. As the airlock closed Lobo strolled up to the futuristic, rocket powered box bigger than he was and opened it to reveal a new hoverbike, laser rifle, and laser pistols...as well as a belt device. He cracked his knuckles as he grinned. His next attack on Superman would go very differently.

Suddenly a nearby video screen lit up, showing the dark and shadowy figure who hired Lobo in the first place.

"Lobo," said the aline. "We witnessed your fight with Superman, and I'm sorry to say we are not pleased."

"What do I care," said Lobo, striking his new hover bike gleefully. "I'll get him next time."

"No you won't," said his client. "Not without help. Fortunately there is technology that can assist you. Judging from the readings we picked up Superman gets his power from a yellow sun, and red sun energy can counter it. We're sending you some new laser guns…"

"I'll keep the one's I've got," said Lobo, rolling his eyes as he inspected the rifle he just got. "So he's got a weakness unique to his kind huh? What do I care? That be like kicking him between the legs. Only wimps have to do that, and I aint no wimp."

"Fine," said the frustrated voice. "At the very least take the holding cell we're sending you. It uses red sun energy to keep his powers away while he's contained. You can beat him up with as much manliness as you want, but we won't take chances while you're actually transporting him."

"Sure," said Lobo, inspecting the new laser pistol. "Whatever you say. Say, where's this red sun stuff coming from anyway? Alterus 9? The moons of Sekeroz? Sounds like some serious tech."

"Actually it's local," said the shadowy figure. "An Earthling named Edward Lyneter. Until we extract the secrets from him, you are not to move. Understand?"

Lobo turned to the vid screen, put on his phoniest display of compassion, and said, "Well I'll wait if it will make the poor baby feel better." then he got serious. "Don't keep me waiting too long. I want my rematch."

"Trust me, this won't take long."


	67. Chapter 67

Superman: The Ark of Krypton

Chapter 67

by

Jason Richard

Clark Kent stood on the bridge of the Ark of Krypton and consulted with Braniac.

"Checking," said Braniac, scanning through his memory banks. "There are only two species known to Kryptonians who have the potential to draw power from yellow sun energy. The Kryptonians, of course, and the Daxamites."

"Who are the Daxamites?" asked Clark.

"Technically they are descendents of Kryptonians who colonized a planet near Krypton," said Braniac. "But after centuries of isolation they are a genetically distinct race for all intensive purposes. They, like the Kryptonians, were destroyed when that sun went Supernova."

"So only those from that genetic line have this power?" asked Clark.

"Correct," said Braniac.

He felt uncomfortable asking this, but he did, "And the likelihood that anyone else survived that catastrophe?"

"Zero Percent," said Braniac. "Transmissions from other alien species that combed the wreckage reported evidence of only one hyperspace trail leading away from the solar system before it disappeared. Yours."

Clark breathed a sigh. "So, that red sun technology wouldn't help Earth prepare for other threats. It could only be used against me."

"Possibly," said Branaic. "But there is another possible way Kryptonians might have survived. While Kryptonians stayed on their homeworld for the most part, there was a particular group kept offword. Krypton's criminals were stored in an alternate dimension known as the phantom zone."

"And those criminals wouldn't have been affected by the explosion?" asked Clark.

"Correct," said Braniac. "However, all the technology that connects this world to the phantom zone would have been destroyed as well, therefore those criminals wouldn't have no way of returning to this world. I calculate a one percent chance that one of those criminals might escape."

"But it's still a chance," said Clark, disappointed.

"I deduce that you intend to release this red sun technology to the world," said Braniac. "I would advise against this, Kal-El. As things stand right now this technology can only be used against you. That is a fact. Would you endanger yourself over a one percent chance?"

"It's not just that," said Clark. "It's about trust. What if these criminals do break out of the phantom zone and people find out I destroyed a way to fight them? Even if they don't break out. If people find out about both of those things their faith in me could shatter."

"A logical point," said Braniac. "But then why did you not do the same with Kryptonite?"

"I doubt even this Ark has enough to defend against what you suggest," said clark.

"In all likelihood, not," said Braniac.

"Then what would be the point?" said Clark. "But then…" he sighed, doubting himself just a little. "Kryptonite is a heck of a lot worse for me than a red sun. Maybe, if I'm being honest with myself, I'm just more afraid of Kryptonite. After all, Kryptonite is also an energy source. Can I say people would trust me if I don't share that knowledge?"

"I couldn't say," said Braniac. "But your fears are slightly misplaced. It is impossible to make an entire population trust you simultaneously."

"True," said Clark. "I'm sure there are plenty of people who don't trust me, and are waiting for me to make a mistake and change the general public's opinion of me. That's part of why I can't afford to make mistakes."

"Very well," said Braniac. "As far as these weaknesses go Kryptonite can be dangerous to humans in the wrong circumstances. Even with adequate shielding accidents will happen. I think that is something people will understand. If you insist on retaining people's trust, then the red sun technology should be sufficient."

Clark nodded and said, "Thanks. Alright, I'll go talk with Lytener."

…

Lytener couldn't wait to finish work. All day at Lexcorp he was looking over his shoulder, expecting someone to either call him out for talking with Daily Planet reporters, or demand he hand over the blueprints to the red sun technology. He felt like he was going mad just waiting for something to happen.

Then, as he was walking out the door of the building, breathing a sigh of relief that another day was over, something did happen.

"Hey Edward," said Lois Lane, hiding in the corner next to the front door.

Edward froze, then turned around slowly. He was tempted to turn away again upon seeing Lois Lane's face.

"So," said Lois. "I hear you've been talking to Clark?"

"Uh," said Lytener.

"I heard you came to the Daily Planet spooked out of your mind, demanding to see me, then you spoke to Clark and suddenly I didn't exist." Lois stepped forward and crossed her arms. "I have trouble believing you're giving him inside information instead of me."

"No! No!" Lytener protested. "It has nothing to do with any stories and...I don't want any of this to get out and...c...ould we go somewhere else? This is the last place we should be seen together."

Lois nodded.

…

Fortunately Lytener knew where the camera's where outside the building and they were able to avoid them. They then caught a cab, and the entire trip Lois just glared at him while he stared forward, avoiding eye contact like the plague. Soon they sat in a coffee shop, where Lytener looked down and Lois still glared.

"So," said Lois. "Something you want to tell me?"

A lot, thought Lytener, though he said, "No, not really."

"Are you sure?" said Lois. "I can't see Clark Kent stealing a story out from under my nose. Too much of a boy scout, but since Luthor was outed Perry White could have him on anything. So what's going on with you?"

He told as much truth as he dared, "It's a personal matter."

"You have a personal matter with Kent, whom you've never met?" said Lois skeptically.

Lytener hesitated, then said, "I have no social life...and no family here in Metropolis. I was looking for you because...you're the only person I've spoken to outside work...and I can't trust anyone there. But when Clark offered to help me out he was just so…"

"Nice?" said Lois. "I guess that does sound like him."

Lois figured it made a certain amount of sense. She thought she saw him literally helping some old lady cross the street the other day. Then again that Clark could be devious when he wanted to be. He'd have to be to bug Bruno Mannheim's car. Could he be stealing a potential story about Lexcorp right out from under her nose?

"So this is personal, and has nothing to do with Lexcorp?" she said sharply.

Lytener resisted the urge to swallow nervously and lied, "No."

Lois regarded him suspiciously for a moment, then said, "Fine. Call me when you have more info for me."

And she got up and walked away. Lytener, meanwhile, finally exhaled, hoping she hadn't noticed him holding his breath.


	68. Chapter 68

Superman: The Ark of Krypton

Chapter 68

by

Jason Richard

It had to be done swiftly. If they were to get Edward Lytener right out from under Superman's nose they would have to move fast. With his powers Supermancould see all, and Lytener had already contacted him. Superman would be watching.

It would have to be swift, they said to each other out in the vast reaches of space. It would have to be swift, but not immediately. Superman and Lytener were about to meet, so his attention would be on the target. They would have to wait until the right moment, so as not to arouse suspicion. Patience, they said to each other.

Patience.

…

Edward Lytener paced back and forward in the living room of his apartment. Clark Kent had insisted Superman wasn't angry with him, but Lytener couldn't help but be nervous. What would he say? What would he do?

He didn't have much time to ponder the question, for he heard knocking on the glass doors to his balcony. Naturally it was Superman, who tried to look as kindly as possible.

After Lytener opened the door he said, quite frantically, "I'm sorry, I didn't want to do it. Mr. Luthor made me. I would never…"

"It's okay," said superman, putting his hands up. "It's okay. I understand."

"You do?" said Lytener, breathing a sigh of relief. "Thank you. Thank you. I'll help you track down the technology so you can destroy it."

"I do want to talk about it," said Superman. "I don't want to destroy it." this surprised Lytener, but he didn't interrupt as superman said. "There is a chance other threats may soon arise that this tech can help us defend against."

"I see," said Lytener, stroking his chin. He hadn't even thought of that.

"I'd like to talk to you about what we do with this tech," said Superman. "How we might quickly mass produce it should the scenario I'm worried about ever come to pass."

"Uh...sure," said Lytener. "Sure. I mean...wow...you'd willingly give the rest of us that much power? Power over you even?"

Superman sighed and said, "I'm not looking forward to it, but I don't do what I do to strike my own ego. I do what I do to protect people, and if protecting people means giving them power that could take away my own, so be it."

Edward Lytener was amazed.

…

Patience, they said, charging their technology so they'd be ready to move. Our distraction is almost ready. Patience.

…

As Lytener showed Superman how they could track down the red sun tech that Luthor had taken with him Superman heard something far in the distance, high up in the sky. Whatever it was it was high in the sky and heading down. Looking up through the roof Superman saw it. Meteors, each flaming piece the size of a building, had broken the atmosphere and were about to crush Metropolis.

"I have to go," said Superman, flying right out of the apartment and into the sky.

Lytener followed outside, looking up and seeing the meteors. He hoped Superman could stop them, but wondered how astronomers could have missed massive meteors careening towards Earth. He also thought it a strange coincidence that they showed up right at that moment.

…

Now, they said to each other far out in space. Acquire the target now!

…

Lois Lane, from the roof of a building across the street, watched Superman talk with Edward Lytener with a pair of binoculars. What on Earth was going on? Part of her had tried to let it go. If Lytener wanted to talk to Clark about some personal matter it wasn't any of her business, and yet all of her instincts told her that something was up.

And now Lytener was talking with Superman. How did that happen?

She wished she'd brought her long range audio equipment so she could know what they were saying, but she hadn't any reason to think this was a story until now. She wracked her brain trying to figure out what to do, until suddenly Superman looked up and flew out of the apartment. Watching the direction he was flying she saw the meteors, great fireballs careening straight for Metropolis. That was strange.

Then Lois gave Edward Lytener one last look, and that's she she saw it, a small circular metal probe flying into Lytener's home. Lois didn't have the faintest idea what it was, but she knew it couldn't be good.


	69. Chapter 69

Superman: The Ark of Krypton

Chapter 69

by

Jason Richard

Superman flew up to the first flaming meteor, pressing his fingers into the red hot stone. With his considerable might he swung the boulder around and threw it away, right back out into space from whence it came.

Superman flew to the next meteor and did the same, throwing as many meteors into space as he could. From the ground below the people of Metropolis could scarcely believe their eyes as they watched Superman, a far away and distance figure, fly around and throw the meteors upwards. More than one person muttered a simple, "Whoa," under their breath.

Superman himself could hardly believe it either. He was getting better at storing solar energy, and thus getting even stronger than before. Being able to throw something this large that far was both an exhilarating and frightening feeling.

Little did he know that while his attention was focused on these meteors, someone else needed his help.

…

From the rooftop of a building across from Edward Lytener's apartment, Lois realized that whatever else was going on Lytener was in trouble. With Superman busy she need to warn him that this probe, whatever it was, was coming for him, so she did the only thing she could think to do. She brought out the advanced taser her military father had given her and fired.

…

Edward Lytener was scared out of his mind, and had been for a while now, but this hadn't stopped him from thinking about what he would do if Lex Luthor or one of his henchmen caught him. He had built from scratch a laser pistol, one of the many laser related projects he had been working on at Lexcorp. If anyone caught him, he'd have a superior weapon, hidden in his jacket, though he hoped he wouldn't have to use it.

And then something struck the floor and started sparking, making him jump! He only had time to see the electric bolt in the floor for a moment, however, as his eyes were immediately drawn to the metal sphere floating just a foot away from his face.

"Ah!" he cried, pulling out his laser pistol and blasting it. The sphere flew back a few feet, but it was otherwise unharmed, and it immediately flew back towards lytener extending some sharp looking mechanical arms.

Lytener shot it again to send it back, and fled, asking himself, "Why me?"

…

As Lytener fled from the probe and Lois Lane ran to the elevator of that building to try and get over there, Superman continued to grab and throw the meteors upwards. Even with his speed he always seemed to catch each meteor too close to a building than he would have liked. As he kept throwing, he knew something was wrong.

There was no way something like this was a coincidence, no way Earth's scientists missed all these objects hurtling towards Earth. Something else had to be happening right at that moment, something he couldn't deal with for fear of these meteors hitting the city. He had no time to figure out what was really going on or do anything about it, and that made him feel just a little bit helpless.

…

Lyetener ran out of the Apartment into the hallway, shooting backwards at the probe pursuing him. People poked their heads out of their own apartments to see what was going on, but they closed the door pretty quickly, including the mother of one boy who saw a man with a laser pistol shooting an alien probe and said, "Cool!"

The probe dodged the laser blasts and came on, with Lytener only occasionally hitting a bullseye. Eventually the terrified scientist burst through the door to the stairs and started going down, shooting upwards at the probe. He knew he had to get away, but he didn't know where to go. He just ran as fast as he could.

Finally he made it into the building's lobby, people screaming and ducking as he shot at the probe behind him. Then he burst out the front door, right as he managed to hit the probe with a laser blast and sending it flying backwards.

"Edward!" a familiar voice called out. "Get in!"

He looked down and saw Lois Lane with a car. He didn't know what she was doing here, but at the moment he didn't care. He quickly got in and let Lois drive him off. That didn't stop the probe, which burst out of the apartment complex's front doors and flew down the road. As high in the sky Superman still flew around and threw meteors away, Lois and Edward fled from the dangerous alien probe.


	70. Chapter 70

Superman: The Ark of Krypton

Chapter 70

by

Jason Richard

As Lois Lane sped as fast as she dared down the streets of Metropolis, two things stuck out to her. One was that out her windshield she could see Superman throwing away the meteors high above the city. The second was that in her rear view meteor she could see the alien probe chasing her car.

Lytener, meanwhile, had opened the window of the back seat, leaned out, and had started firing at the probe again, though he couldn't seem to land a shot. Lois saw this and rolled her eyes.

"If you're going to use a weapon you should really learn to use it," said Lois. "Seriously, I had better aim than that when I was twelve."

"I only got this recently!" said Lyetener. "I'm still learning!"

And then Lois was forced to make a sharp turn and Lytener, not expecting it, dropped the laser pistol out the window. He watched helplessly as the car continued on and the weapon clattered harmlessly to the pavement and then got run over and crushed by another car.

As Lytener looked on helplessly, Lois noticed something and said, "I don't hear laser blasts.

"Uh...yeah…" said Lytener nervously. "About that…"

…

Just as he threw a meteor, Superman finally heard something out of place besides the meteors and he looked down for a moment to see what it was. He saw a car being chased by some sort of Alien probe with Edward Lytener shooting at it and Lois Lane driving.

And Superman finally understood what had been bothering him. Some force out in space had sent these meteors to distract him while this probe went after Lytener. Someone else wanted the power to take Superman down.

But now that Superman knew about the threat he still couldn't do much about it. These meteors just kept coming, and even with his incredible speed he didn't have time to fly down to help. He had to keep throwing back these massive flaming rocks. He could use heat vision, but he risked hurting someone down below, and with his eyes downward he would still lose valuable time.

What could he do?

…

"Okay think Lois," she said to herself as she drove like a maniac to get away from the alien probe. She figured her taser wouldn't harm the thing if whatever Lytener was using barely annoyed it. Could she just wait out the meteors and let Superman handle it? No. Who knows how long that would take. She needed a way to destroy the thing.

Well, there was one thing she could do.

"Edward," said Lois. "Call your boss."

"Uh…" said Lytener nervously.

"Just call Mercy Graves and put me on the line," she said as she swerved around a corner.

"Uh...Okay," said Lytener, who didn't know where she as going with this. He quickly dialed Luthor's office...which he supposed was now Mrs. Grave's office, and held the phone up to Lois. After a few moments, someone picked up.

"What is it Lytener?" asked Mercy over the line.

"Oh not much," said Lois nonchalantly as he gunned the engine to race down an empty stretch of road in the city. "I just found your scientist Lytener being chased by some sort of alien probe. I would wait for Superman but he's busy, so you'll have to do."

A moment of silence, and then Mercy said, "Huh...you're telling the truth."

Lois wasn't certain if she wanted to know how Mercy Graves confirmed that, but said, "So, are you going help us out or what? Since he works for Lexcorp, I'd imagine it's Lexcorp secret's this this is…"

"Oh quit your whining," said Mercy. "I've already sent something you're way."

And Mercy graves hung up. As the probe started to get closer and closer both Lois Lane and Edward Lytener hoped the 'something' Mercy Graves mentioned would get there soon.


	71. Chapter 71

Superman: The Ark of Krypton

Chapter 71

by

Jason Richard

For a moment, just a moment, it seemed like the onslaught of massive flaming meteors falling towards the city were coming to an end. Just a little bit longer and Superman would be done, but just as he threw a meteor away he saw something. It came right out of nowhere, and it was big. One giant meteor, as large as the city itself, and as it materialized the city grew dark as night.

"Seriously?" said Superman as he flew to another Meteor and threw it away.

And when this massive, city sized meteor hit the atmosphere, you didn't need super hearing to know it was there. You could hear the sonic boom for miles. The sun disappearing was another clue.

…

"Oh really?!" demanded Lois as they massive shadow fell over the city. "We're doing this now?!"

Lytener, from the back seat, just watched the alien probe get closer and closer to the car until it was right on top of them. He trembled with fear, not knowing what this thing would to do it when it got to him. He would have preferred to think 'if' it got to him, but that was getting more and more unlikely.

That is, until something struck the alien pod and exploded, sending the object flying off to the side. Lytener looked over and saw a drone, though this was clearly of human origin. It was a high tech drone, certainly, but it was definitely human.

It seemed Mercy Graves worked fast.

Within moments the two flying devices started shooting at each other, the drone using micro explosives and the probe using some sort of lasers. If people had just barely noticed a probe flying through the street, they definitely noticed the two pieces of technology shooting and dodging each other's deadly weapons.

With the probe distracted Lois was finally able to put distance between the car and the probe. That was a relief.

…

Superman gave occasional glances to the car below, and saw that a Lexcorp drone was now assisting. He wasn't certain what that meant, but he was glad Edward Lytener and Lois Lane were safe. As he threw away the final of the smaller meteors, he looked up to the big one. This would easily be the biggest thing Superman had tried to move.

He took a deep breath and flew up. When his fingers collided with the meteor he pushed the massive object with all his might. He could feel it slowing down, but it wasn't stopping just yet. Throwing all his strength upwards he could feel the rock beginning to crack under his hands. Finally the meteor stopped, and after a few moments of staying still it very...very slowly began to go upwards as Superman pushed it away.

…

The probe and the drone continued to shoot at each other, but the probe, scanning this new threat, discovered that it was significantly heavier than the drone, and flew to the side, smashing into the other device and sending it flying away. The drone recovered, but the probe manage to put some distance.

Within minutes it turned a corner and found the vehicle it's true target was fleeing in. It zoomed up to the window from the driver's blind spot and hovered next to the window, smashing an arm through the window and sticking the target's head with a thin needle.

"Edward!" cried Lois, resisting the urge to swerve and rip Edward Lytener's brain to shreds.

After a moment with Edward Lytener's eyes rolling in the back of his head the probe retracted it's arm and flew away, leaving the poor scientist limp and unconscious. The probe began a transmission, but before it could finish the drone, recovered from the impact earlier, finished it's own scan of the enemy and found a few weak points, which it targeted.

It shot some micro explosives at those points and the alien probe fell to pieces, falling to the street below. Lois Lane didn't notice, however. All she could do was stop the car, run to the back seat, and try to rouse Edward, who wasn't moving.

"Edward!" she said, shaking him. "Edward!" But no matter what she did he just wouldn't wake up.

…

Out in the cold depths of space they got the transmission, but it was only partial. They didn't have all the data they needed to construct weapons to battle Superman. However, what they got wasn't worthless either.

Perhaps they could move forward after all. It was time to contact Lobo once again.


	72. Chapter 72

Superman: The Ark of Krypton

Chapter 72

by

Jason Richard

"Ah," said Superman as he pushed the massive city sized meteor back into space. "Now I remember what exhaustion feels like." Not since before his powers had kicked in when he was a kid had he felt like this. But here he was now, lifting the heaviest object he had ever lifted, and he still had a ways to go before it was out of Earth's gravity.

But first, he had to get it out of Earth's atmosphere. As he felt himself beginning to get cold from the sheer height he was flying, he took a deep breath and held it.

And despite his task, he couldn't help but wonder how Lois and Edward were doing.

…

Lois stayed with Edward Lytener as he was brought into an ambulance and taken to the hospital. It seemed to take forever, but finally she was waiting outside Edward's operating room as they looked him over. She was surprised to find herself this worried about him, but there she was in the hospital waiting room, pacing back and forth.

Little did she know that though no one was sent physically at that time, Mercy Graves, hacking into the hospital's security, was watching Edward Lytener like a hawk.

…

Out in the vacuum of space Superman finally felt the asteroid get lighter. Just a little bit more and it would be beyond Earth's gravity. He was feeling the effects of holding his breath too long, but he couldn't stop now. Just a little bit further…

Finally the massive meteor started drifting away on it's own. Superman could finally let it go, but he finally felt his vision fading from holding his breath. As he felt himself going under, he took solace that the Earth was safe. With his super hearing he was able to determine that Lois and Lytener were safe at the hospital, which gave him more comfort. At this point, however, he didn't know what would happen to him.

After a few seconds, he realize it was nothing. He didn't black out, and didn't feel any more discomfort from holding his breath. Seeing the giant meteor drift away in front of him he turned around, finally seeing just how far away from Earth he'd gotten.

If he still had breath in his lungs, it would have been taken away.

This big ball of blue and green with white clouds drifting over it. It was an amazing sight that made him feel small.

After a moment of taking it in he checked his breathing. Apparently Braniac had been correct. He didn't need to breath when he had solar radiation sustaining him. He looked over at the sun, feeling it's life giving warmth even from there. He focused on that sensation and let more of that energy in. It was like taking the deepest, warmest, most invigorating breath he had ever taken.

And he wasn't even breathing.

…

Lois finally got the word from the doctor. Edward Lytener was going to be fine. He had woken up briefly but had quickly gone back to sleep. Whatever that probe had stuck in him seemed designed to cause as little damage as possible. Made sense. They were clearly after something in his mind, and wouldn't want that information damaged.

She shuddered to think that they'd gotten it. She'd have to talk to him about it when he fully recovered.

Finally, however, Lois realized she could do nothing else for him, and decided to go home. She'd visit him later when she good.

At the same time, outside the hospital, Superman looked in with his X-Ray vision and listened to the doctors. He, too, was satisfied that Lytener was okay.

…

Later that evening Edward Lytener woke up for good, and felt simultaneously fantastic and horrible at the same time. Fantastic for whatever pain medication the doctors had given him, and horrible due to the memory of what happened earlier that day.

Whatever that probe had been after in his mind, the probe had gotten it, and Edward figured he knew what information that was. Before he could even sigh, however, he heard a voice.

"Edward Lytener," said Mercy Graves, shaking her head. "We need to talk."

Poor edward didn't dare look to where the woman was standing. He was convinced one look would give away now nervous he was.

"Muh...muh...Mrs. Graves," said Lytener. "Why…"

"What were you doing talking to Lois Lane?" she asked curtly.

Edward started to panic, saying, "I don't know what…"

"Don't lie to me," said Mercy crossly. "I don't buy for a moment that Lois Lane, easily the biggest thorn in Lexcorp's side, just happened to be in the area. What have you been telling her?"

"I haven't been telling her anything," Edward protested desperately. "I...I...I was talking to...uh…" then he got an idea, saying. "I was talking to Superman!"

The silence was more terrifying than anything else, right up until Mercy said, "For your sake, I hope you have a really good explanation for that."

"He came to me," said Lytener. "He...he knew I was the one who built the red sun technology. I don't know how." Thinking someone might have seen him and Lois together when she showed up at Lexcorp he added, "And Lois Lane started pestering me soon afterward. I denied everything, but she must have gotten wind of me looking for news about Superman."

Once again the silence was unbearable as Edward Lytener held his breath. Finally, Mercy said, "Alright, you'll receive around the clock protection from now on. We destroyed that probe before it was finished transmitting its signal, so they may be back to get the rest. Don't worry, The finest bodyguards we have will be on duty."

"What about Superman?" asked Lytener, keeping up the charade.

"He cares about public opinion," said Mercy. "You won't see him forcing his way into a hospital, or even breaking and entering a Lexcorp facility without a good cause. So long as the men guarding you don't let him in we should be able to keep you away from him. Now, get your rest."

And Mercy Graves walked out. As she strolled down the hospital corridor she rubbed her chin and thought it over. Edward Lytener's explanation was plausible, as Superman was getting more effective at getting around the sound dampening devices and disrupting Lex's illegal operations. Even so, she had a gut feeling that something was wrong, so she wasn't certain she buyed Lytener's story entirely.

Edward Lytener, for his part, was both relieved and worried. As good as round the clock protection sounded, he didn't like the idea of Lexcorp lackeys with guns being right outside the door 24/7. He might even prefer the aliens.


	73. Chapter 73

Superman: The Ark of Krypton

Chapter 73

by

Jason Richard

Out in space Lobo was bored out of his skull. As he slumped back in the cockpit, spinning the chamber on his laser revolver, he lamented taking this job. Just a few more hours they said. It won't be long they said. He didn't want to wait to start beating up Superman. He wanted to go now, and he slammed his fist on the console in frustration.

"This a bad time?" the voice came over the communicator.

"Do you have the tech or not?" asked Lobo grumpily, glaring at the vidscreen that came on.

The shadowy figure on screen said, "We didn't get it all, but we did find out something important. He gets most of his energy from direct sunlight, so if you attack at night with the Earth's shadow shielding you he'll eventually run out. We're also sending you a box that can prevent light from getting in…

"So it's explosion time?" asked Lobo gleefully.

The figure sighed and said, "Yes, Lobo, it's explosion time."

"Whoo Hoo!" cried Lobo, strapping himself in, grabbing the controls and blasting his ship through space and back to Earth.

…

"What do you mean I can't talk to him?" Lois demanded of the big, burly man in suit and sunglasses outside of Edward Lytener's hospital room.

"I told you," said the security guard. "For Mr. Lytener's safety we cannot allow anyone into that room, especially not a reporter."

Lois thought about causing a ruckus, knowing that Edward would hear her and let her in, but she didn't want to incriminate him. Lexcorp wasn't supposed to know that the two of them had been talking after all. She wasn't about to give up, however.

"Hey," Lois asked a passing nurse. "These guys can't be allowed here can they? Don't you have security here."

"Not security that can handle some weird alien weapon." said the Nurse, giving Lois a serious look. "If these guys can do that I've got no problem with them."

Lois didn't answer, but her look said it all. The nurse nodded and left, and Lois also walked away, knowing she didn't have any other arguments in her favor. Even then she hadn't given up. She'd just have to find another way to talk to him.

Meanwhile Edward, from within that room, had heard her demanding to be let in, and was grateful that he didn't have to talk to her just yet.

…

After that moment out in space, where he realized he didn't need to breath, Clark thought about his powers differently. Despite the incredible feats he had accomplished with them he still thought of his powers as limited in some way. He could feel that well of energy inside him, and he always thought it could run dry if he was pushed to his limit. After that moment, however, he realized he could tap into the power of the sun and fill that well infinitely.

He found himself thinking about it constantly. As he went home to rest, as he went to work at the Daily Planet, and as he sat at his desk working, he could feel himself taking in more energy from the sun. In fact, he began deliberately taking in more energy, filling himself up with that incredible warmth. He wasn't certain what would happen, or what more incredible feats he'd be capable of as he did, but he couldn't help it. It felt incredible.

"Hey Kent!" said Lois, snapping her fingers as she sat at her desk. "You still with us?"

Clark shook his head. He'd been standing at the window, doing it again. "Uh, sorry." he said, going back to his desk. "It's just...it's a very nice day."

Fortunately it really was a clear blue sky outside so Lois took him at his word, but Clark was still a little embarrassed. He really needed to pay more attention to the here and now...well the now at least. He was listening for trouble in other places of course.

Also his thoughts were on Edward Lytener. Someone had threatened a massive disaster just to make a distraction, and Superman was convinced they would strike again. When and where was only a matter of time.

And yet...he felt ready for it. Even if they had gotten some information from Edward Lytener he was confident he could keep the man safe now. He wasn't going to allow himself to be limited any longer. He would keep absorbing the solar radiation until he could absorb no more.

Despite having to get back to work looking for potential front page news, he couldn't shake that feeling that he truly was limitless.

…

"You did the right thing Mercy," said Luthor, stroking his chin as he lounged in his bathrobe on a pool chair next to his luxury swimming pool. Sometimes he forgot he was actually in an underground bunker.

"You sure Lex?" said Mercy from the nearby vidscreen. "I have this sneaking suspicion Lytener wasn't telling us the whole story."

"It doesn't matter," said Luthor. "With him being targeted by extraterrestrials he's become a liability anyway. I already know exactly what I intend to do with him."

"That fast?" said Mercy. "Isn't he the asset who gave you exactly what you're looking for."

"Sure," said Luthor. "But I still intend to have exclusive rights to selling Superman's weakness. Besides, now that I have what I want, I don't exactly need Lytener either. I'll forward you the details about what I want you to do, but be sure to wait until the aliens return. They were so good at distracting Superman before that I'm certain they can do it again."

"Understood," said Mercy as the video feed went blank. Luthor took a sip from a glass of wine next to his pool chair and continued to stroke his chin thoughtfully. Did these recent events mean he was officially in an arms race with beings from another world? He grinned as the thought of the possibilities.


	74. Chapter 74

Superman: The Ark of Krypton

Chapter 74

by

Jason Richard

When Lobo reached Earth the second time he steered his ship right towards the dark side of the planet, landing somewhere in india. His ship crash landed in the woods with a fiery explosion, just as he liked it. He stepped out as the doors opened and saw a city in the distance. It was quite a site off in the distance, filled with glittering lights under a starry sky.

Lobo thought it would look better on fire. That would draw Superman's attention, he figured as he sauntered towards the unsuspecting city.

…

Clark had never felt so much energy within him before. This time he was at home, standing on the balcony and watching the setting sun, letting that warmth flow into him. He couldn't help it. In the blink of an eye he changed into Superman and flew out. He wanted to see just how fast and strong he was. Fortunately Metropolis had been free of trouble for a while, so he figured a few minutes testing his powers out wouldn't hurt.

He flew high up into the air and broke the sound barrier in less than a second. Within minutes he was over the ocean, over Europe where day began to turn to night, and then over the Middle East...loving every exhilarating moment the flight provided.

Then he heard it. Someone was shooting a laser pistol somewhere in India...a laser pistol that sounded very familiar.

He flew towards the sound, but even leagues away he saw the cause of the trouble, even in the dead of night. Lobo was back, shooting randomly at buildings as the poor Indian people fled in terror. Superman clenched his fists and flew in, ready to deal with this madness.

He didn't even wait for Lobo to notice him as he flew in, and with a single punch sent Lobo flying on a trajectory out of the city. He took a moment to fly around and pull people out of the way of flying debris and use his ice breath to put out some fires, then he flew to where he knew Lobo was going to land.

When he reached the outside of the city he found he had to wait a second before Lobo landed. He really was getting faster.

With a thump Lobo made a small crater in the ground. As the gigantic alien biker stood up, he laughed.

"Shoulda known you'd come out of nowhere," said Lobo, shaking his head.

"You should also know this will go the same way it did last time," said Superman.

"Sure," said Lobo, putting his hands up as if to surrender. "Sure...Or not." and he snapped his fingers.

Superman was prepared for the hover bike to try and ram him out of nowhere. He quickly shot it with his heat vision as it approached.

The resulting explosion took him off guard. Not only was it blinding, but there must have been some sort of sonic bomb in it, as the resulting sound effectively made him deaf for a few seconds.

It was enough for Lobo, wearing dark goggles to see through the blinding light, to run up, punch him to the ground, and attach something to Superman's waist while the hero was stunned. Superman then found Lobo's arm around his neck as the alien bounty hunter dragged him away. Superman had forgotten how strong Lobo was. Even without Superman's other powers, and even with all the energy Superman had absorbed recently, Lobo was still strong enough to keep up with him.

Superman elbowed Lobo in the abs, and even as the alien grunted from the blows Superman felt something was wrong. His body felt heavier than it should have, and thus he couldn't hit as hard or move as fast as before. He was able to shrug off lobo, who staggered back and hugged his stomach, but Superman found himself staggering a little as he just noticed that Lobo had attached some sort of silver mechanical belt to Superman's waist.

"Confused," said Lobo, laughing as he continued to hold his stomach. "That's a gravity belt. I use it when I'm fixing the outside of my ship. Don't want to hurtle through space. That one I had jerry-rigged to max power, so it weighs about as much as a small moon. Let's see you move around in a blur with that weighing you down."

Superman realized that Lobo was right. With this thing on him his speed was pretty much gone. He was still strong enough to fight Lobo, but he now lacked his biggest advantage.

Furthermore the effort to stand with this much power weighing him down was quickly draining his solar energy. Since the sun was on the other side of the Earth he couldn't replenish it. He was in trouble if he couldn't remove it. He reached down to do so, but…

"Wouldn't do that if I were you," said Lobo, grinning. "That thing's got a micro-nuke in it.

You rip it off and BOOM! We may be outside that city over there, but we're not that far away."

Superman knew he wasn't bluffing. He tried to fly away, but the weight meant he couldn't fly fast, and all Lobo had to do to keep him there was throw out his chain. The metal object wrapped around Superman's torso and Lobo yanked him back before punching him in the stomach and sending him crashing into the ground, leaving a line in the ground as he kicked up dirt.

When Superman finally stopped he stood up shakily as Lobo charged him. Clearly he'd underestimated this Lobo, and now he was in trouble. With his energy draining, he needed to end this...and fast.


	75. Chapter 75

Superman: The Ark of Krypton

Chapter 75

by

Jason Richard

Superman knew if he tried to fly up that chain would pull him back down. He wasn't used to being so slow thanks to a gravity belt, but that was the situation he found himself in. The only course of action, he figured, was to go at Lobo directly, so he flew forward and aimed a punch with all his might.

Lobo caught the punch with the palm of his hand, but the force of it was more than he anticipated, as with a sound of thunder upon impact he had to plant his feet just to stay standing, his feet leaving craters in the ground as he did.

With his other hand Lobo threw a punch of his own, but Superman caught that, only for Lobo to headbut him, smashing him into the ground. With these super powered blows sounding through the night, some would have been forgiven for thinking that a thunderstorm was nearby.

Lobo then grabbed Superman by the leg and swung him around, smashing him against the ground over and over and sending dirt flying every time he struck. Lobo then threw Superman away, sending him crashing through the tree, knocking over countless numbers of them.

As Superman crashed into the ground and the trees shook the forest where they landed Lobo pressed a button on his glove, summoning his ship. Superman was getting weaker, so all he had to do was wrestle him into the box he was given, and the rest would be history.

Superman, meanwhile, got up unsteadily. He had less energy than ever now, and would be powerless if he used much more. Lobo had made a mistake however. Throwing him away gave him a chance to fly away. Then again as Superman began to fly he could feel the drain on his internal energy.

If he could remove this belt he could get rid of the gravity field, but he'd have to fly far enough away so that the nuclear explosion wouldn't harm anyone. If he did that, however, there was no guarantee the energy he had left by that point would be enough to save him from the blast. Still, if he was going to get to the sun and recharge he would have to risk it. He flew as fast as he could...and realized that a human vehicle could keep up with him. That wasn't good.

For of course Lobo was chasing him on a ship that could go much faster than that, and it was giving him chase. Within moments it would be right on top of him, so as Superman flew through the trees he swerved, letting it sail past him.

The ship quickly turned around and Lobo, from the cockpit, grinned sadistically as he flew in. Superman dodged again as the ship crashed into a few trees. The ship turned around for another pass and Superman dodged again, only to find that Lobo was no longer in the cockpit. As the flying object sailed past him a door opened in the side and Lobo poked his head out, throwing his hook and chain at Superman.

The chain wrapped around the hero and Lobo yanked him inside the ship. As Superman tumbled inside he flew up, only to be met with Lobo's fist, then another, then another, and as Lobo wailed on him Superman actually started to feel the punches, and they didn't' feel good.

After a few moments of getting knocked around Superman able to throw his own punch, but it barely budged the gigantic grinning alien. Lobo did stop attacking, but only because there was no point anymore. Superman's solar energy was running dry, and he collapsed on the floor of that ship, unable to move. The last thing he could remember before passing out was Lobo dragging him into a giant black box.

…

Superman woke up in complete darkness, and felt groggy as he sat up. Grogginess. That was a new feeling for him. With his Super powered eyes he was just barely able to see his surroundings. Barely.

It was a large, featureless black box made of a glossy material. As he stood up he put his hands on the wall and quickly realized he wouldn't be able to break through it. He didn't have enough energy left. The gravity belt was no longer around his waist, but the healing of his wounds must have used most of his reserves. He had some solar energy left, but not much.

He was trapped, who knew where, and he couldn't punch his way through. In the dark Superman grimaced. How was he going to get out of this situation?


	76. Chapter 76

Superman: The Ark of Krypton

Chapter 76

by

Jason Richard

Finding a spot to eavesdrop on Edward Lytener proved to be tricky. The buildings across from his hospital room weren't hotels or anything like that, and weren't available for public use, so she couldn't hide in one of them.

Lois Lane was determined, however. Given that Lexcorp had given Lytener their security, and that Lytener had been attacked by an alien probe, it was only a matter of time before Lex Luthor talked to him personally. Then maybe she could bust Lexcorp itself once it was proven that he was still running the show.

She figured Edward wouldn't mind. After all he'd agreed to be a whistleblower for her.

So she got together a surveillance van, pulling a favor from a friend, and parked in an alley, making sure a bug got into Lytener's room. It would have to be a bug rather than her long rang microphone, as Luthor's goons would undoubtedly use their sound dampening devices. It was tricky, considering security was watching, but there was always a way to get a bug inside inside.

But slipping the janitor fifty dollars and hiding the bug in the handle of his broom usually worked, as it did this time. Soon the room was bugged, the device resting behind the TV, and all she had to do was wait.

She waited there in that surveillance van for twenty two hours before something happened, but it proved to be worth the wait.

…

Lytener felt someone shaking him, and woke up groggily in his hospital bed. His eyes cleared to find one of the big burly Lexcorp security guards standing over him in a suit and sunglasses. He wondered what was going on until he saw, sitting on a table, a laptop screen.

And Lex Luthor was sitting in the middle of it.

"Well?" said Luthor's image on the screen. "How do you feel?"

"M...Mr. Luthor!" said Lytener, trying to stand only to feel lightheaded and fall down again. "H...how...how...how can I help you?" he stammered nervously.

"Status report," said Luthor. "The probe that attacked you. What exactly did it steal from your mind?"

Horrified, Lytener stammered. "I...I don't know sir. I..I...I fell unconscious the moment it pierced my skull. I don't know what it took."

"I was afraid you'd say that," said Luthor, disappointed. "No harm asking, but still."

"W...Well…" said Lytener. "I suppose they stole the design for the red sun laser than can sap Superman's powers."

…

Out in the Surveillance van Lois dropped her coffee mug. What had Edward Lytener just said?

…

"Well," said Luthor, that would be obvious. I was hoping if you could tell me if they got all the data. Oh well. Mr. Lytener I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your valuable services, especially the red sun laser."

"My pleasure sir," said Lytener, feeling relieved.

…

Lois had heard enough. She turned off the bug and got ready to drive out of there. She had enough for a story. One of Lexcorp's top scientist was still working with the criminal at large, and had apparently created a weapon specifically meant for Superman. What bigger story could there be?

And building a way to take down Superman to please Lex Luthor? Seriously? She didn't think Lytener could stoop so low. Angrily she drove the van away as he mulled it over. If Lytener was working directly for Lex Luthor, had all the information he'd ever given her been mere distractions from the real scandals that would take Lexcorp down?

By that point the reason didn't matter. Lois was angry, and was going to take out that anger on her keyboard once she started writing. Little did she know that the moment she turned of the bug she might have changed her mind about Edward.

…

"Well Mr. Lytener," said Lex Luthor. "You've been an excellent employee. You're insights into solar energy have proven invaluable."

Lytener chuckled nervously, "Mr. Luthor, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you were giving a retirement speech."

Lex Luthor laughed out loud, and Lytener laughed even more nervously than before.

"No Mr. Lytener," said Lex Luthor. "You're not being fired. Still, you having knowledge of the red sun lasers has become a liability, so I'm very sorry about this next step."

Lytener didn't like the sound of that, but before he could ask the security guards came over and suddenly grabbed him, pinning his arms and legs down with one hand over his mouth. Lytener struggled, but it was no use. Then another security guard came over with a very strange device...with a suspicious looking needle."

"We will have to erase your memory," said Luthor regretfully. "So that the extraterrestrials or anyone else cannot get your knowledge. I do apologize, but this is going to hurt."

The guard pointed the needle right at Edward Lytener's forehead, and that night, no one heard the poor man's muffled screams.


	77. Chapter 77

Superman: The Ark of Krypton

Chapter 77

by

Jason Richard

Superman couldn't afford to panic. He had to stay calm, though this was easier said than done. Within a pitch black, airtight box probably deep into space and didn't have enough energy to force his way out. He was a understandably rather nervous, but he couldn't let himself panic. He took a deep breath and tried to think this problem through.

Despite the mechanical banging noise just outside the box. What kind of ship was this?

He needed to figure out what he was capable of in this state, and he had to do it without wasting his energy. This, he figured, would be easier said than done.

He wasn't going to test his strength. Lobo was his equal even at full strength, so clearly he had the advantage there. What about speed? How was he to test that using as little energy as possibly? How could he think when the ship was making that banging noise like that?

Eventually, despite the noise, he had an idea. He unclasped his cape and bunched it up, dropping it while paying very careful attention to how fast it fell. He did this without tapping into his energy reserves. Next he picked it up again and repeated the experiment, only this time using a small amount of energy. Rather than sending it throughout his entire body, he sent it only to his brain, about the same amount his brain should normally receive when he used his speed.

This wouldn't let him move fast, but it would make the world seem slower to him, allowing him to gauge his speed without using much energy. The cape definitely fell slower this time, though not as slowly as he would have liked.

He put the cape back on and thought again, still trying to put that banging noise out of his mind. Heat vision used more energy than anything else, so that was clearly out. Ice breath, on the other hand, needed hardly any energy at all, as it revolved around removing energy rather than adding it, so he tested it. The difference between ice breath at full power and ice breath at that moment was negligible. That was good.

X-Ray vision used too much, and probably wouldn't help enough to be worth the risk. Super hearing was rather automatic, but fortunately used very little energy. He could also minimize his energy use by sticking to speed without flying.

So speed, ice breath, and super hearing where what he had to work with. It was a start. Now all he needed was a plan.

If only that banging would cut it out.

…

The moment Lois Lane walked into the Daily Planet Perry White barked at her.

"Lane!" he shouted. "My office, now!"

She knew that tone of voice. Something big had just happened. She didn't waste time getting to that office.

The moment she shut the door White spoke up.

"Superman's been kidnapped," said White.

"What?!" demanded Lois. "How?!"

"That alien that attacked him before," said White. 'The one with the biker motif. He came back, started trashing up a city in India, and kidnapped Superman when he showed up, blasting him away in his ship."

That didn't even make sense. Superman beat that thing before. Why couldn't…

It hit her.

"Lytener," said Lois. "They took something from his mind...it must have been how to counter Superman's power, and I know he has that."

"Come again?" said White.

"Got a recording," said Lois. "He was talking with Lex Luthor himself."

Perry White looked at her in amazement and said, "I was going to send you to India, but there's no need. We already got the best angle in this story. And possibly the most concerning." he looked as if he suddenly realized the full implications of what they were talking about. "Great Caesar's Ghost! We just find out aliens exist and the only one who can protect us from them has been taken."

"People need to know," said Lois.

"I know that," said Perry White. "I want you on that article immediately."

...

Superman had nothing, no plan whatsoever. He had no doubt that the alien would take him to a planet with a red sun, which would drain his energy faster than anything else. The only way he could get an advantage again was to get to a yellow sun, but he had no way to do that. He couldn't pilot the ship after all.

And again, he wished that banging noise would just…

"Hey!" cried Lobo outside the box, "Quite that banging!"

And there was silence. Even the banging stopped. That was definitely strange. So that noise had nothing to do with Lobo's ship? So what was it then? Considering it stopped when Lobo spoke up it had to be intelligent. Could it be…

Did Braniac send a probe after him? Superman figured Braniac's sensors could tell if he was in trouble, so it was plausible, but he had no way of knowing. That noise could be from a Braniac probe, or it could be something else entirely.

If it was Branaic then an escape plan could work. While Superman distracted Lobo the probe could hack the ship and steer them towards a yellow sun. If it was something else, however…

The banging started again. Whatever it was it wanted Superman's attention. It was now or never. Superman would have to take a risk and make his move.


	78. Chapter 78

Superman: The Ark of Krypton

Chapter 78

by

Jason Richard

Lobo had finally had enough. He didn't know what Superman was doing making all that racket, but it was time for it to stop. He got up out of the cockpit, strolled over to the box in the center of his ship, and cracked his knuckles.

He wasn't that close to a yellow star, so Superman couldn't do anything right?

"Hey Looper Man," said Lobo, pressing a button on the outside and opening the box. "I'm going to have to teach you a…"

When the panel opened, Superman wasn't inside.

"What the…" Lobo began, but the moment he stepped inside the box to investigate his foot slipped. It was then he noticed a very thin layer of ice covering the floor. As he slid inside and looked up at the top of the box he then saw Superman, who sat on an ice ledge just over the entrance to the box.

Superman then jumped down and used just a little bit of flying to get outside the box. He quickly landed and started pressing buttons on the outside of the box. Eventually one of them closed the panel, trapping Lobo inside.

It didn't take Lobo long to get up and start pounding on the door.

"Okay Looper Man," said Lobo. "I can't care how much money you're worth. You're gonna pay for that!"

Meanwhile, above the box, a kryptonian probe said, "Nicely done sir."

"Thanks Brainiac," said Superman, relieved. "Can you pilot this ship?"

"I have already begun hacking into the ship," said the probe, and it was then that Superman noticed a line connecting said probe to the wall. Lobo also continued to pound the inside of the box, causing dents in the strange material.

"Better do what you're going to do fast," said Superman.

"I already have us on a collision course with a nearby yellow star," said Braniac's probe.

Superman ran up to the cockpit and sure enough a large ball of yellow fire was getting close and closer as Lobo continued to bash his way out of his prison. Despite seeing it he still couldn't feel the energy flowing into him yet. Something in the hull of Lobo's ship must block the radiation, Superman figured.

Now if the energy would get to him before Lobo…

CRASH! The door to the box flew away.

And Lobo stepped out...while Superman groaned.

Lobo sneered, and Superman resisted the urge to look at the probe over the box. He needed to keep Lobo distracted so the probe could do it's work. Lobo, however, noticed, out the window above the cockpit, that they were approaching a yellow sun.

"How did you…" Lobo asked before Superman ice breathed him in the face.

Scraping the ice off his face, Lobo said, "Okay, time for a beating."

And he lunged at Superman, who sped out of the way. Not as quickly as Superman would have liked, but he was still faster than Lobo. He zigzagged back and forth as Lobo grabbed at him in a futile effort. Lobo, however, then picked his foot up and slammed it down, shaking the entire ship and knocking Superman down. Before he could get up Lobo had Superman around the neck.

Not this again, thought Superman as he felt the air leave him. He struggled, but of course he didn't have enough energy to go up against Lobo. The heavy metal alien, meanwhile, just laughed.

"I don't know how you steered my ship," said Lobo. "But the jig is up little man. Now it's time to be a good little prisoner and go to sleep."

Superman, not really listening, did the only thing he could think of. He used his heat vision on his own hands, heating them to superhuman degrees...and he cried out as the heat hurt his hands before grabbing lobo's face, putting fingers in each of his eyes.

With a hiss and cloud of steam Lobo screamed and dropped Superman cradling his face.

Superman got up, but he felt weak, and his hands really hurt. His hands healed, but when they finished that was it. He'd used the last of his energy. Lobo, it seemed wasn't terribly hurt by the heat, even as he cradled his face.

But once he removed his hands, Superman could tell he was furious.

"That does it," said Lobo angrily, "I am going to beat you so hard your own mother wouldn't recognize you."

He took a few steps forward, and Superman took a few steps back. If only he had more time. If only…

And suddenly a crack appeared in the glass over the cockpit. The solar radiation was breaking through. Lobo saw this and then looked back at Superman, who just grinned.

"Seriously?" asked Lobo.

"Yes," said Superman.

The cockpit window broke apart, and as air rushed around them pouring into space Superman felt that life giving energy flow into him, filling him to the brim with power once again. Lobo, meanwhile, ignored Superman and jumped to the cockpit, steering his ship away from the star. The Braniac probe no longer had any reason to stop him now that Superman had his powers back.

Once the air finished rushing out of the ship and the ship was steered away from the sun Lobo got up and looked at Superman with with a very...unpleased look on his face. Superman couldn't help but be amused by this. Also it somehow didn't surprise him that Lobo could survive in the vacuum of space

Superman then flew up, grabbed the Braniac probe and flew out of there. Lobo didn't even bother to try and stop him. He really didn't look forward to cleaning the ship.

All this being said, he did look back and give Superman one little grin. As upset as he was about the ship, he couldn't help but be just a little impressed.

But only a little.


	79. Chapter 79

Superman: The Ark of Krypton

Chapter 79

by

Jason Richard

They were furious as they watched out in space. Lobo had failed them again. Though he had captured Superman the Kryptonian had slipped from his grasp once more. It was time for a change in tactics. Someone else would get a chance to capture him, and this time, it might be helpful if it were someone a little more...close to home. It would take time to arrange, but as always, patience was necessary.

Patience.

…

Edward Lytener woke up to the worst headache of his life. The events of the previous night slowly came back to him, and he realized that going to work at Lexcorp was easily the biggest mistake of his life.

Then again he reached up to his head and realized the wound from whatever Lexcorp had stuck in him was gone. Well...at least he didn't feel any scar tissue there. Still hurt like nothing else, but at least he wouldn't be deformed.

He was also glad he had Lexcorp protection from the aliens. After all, considering what he knew they were bound to be after him again.

Wait, what did he know? Lytener thought about it, but couldn't bring to mind what it was he was supposed to know. Oh. That's right. That's why Lexcorp used that thing on him last night. Those Lexcorp goons…

He couldn't see their shadows underneath the door. They weren't guarding his room? Then...where were they?

"Guards?" he said hopefully. "Guards?!" But there was no answer.

In a panic Lytener pressed the button to summon the nurse, then waited anxiously for her to arrive. When she came in, a newspaper tucked under her arm, he spoke up immediately.

"Where are they?" he asked. "The Lexcorp security?"

She frowned and him and said, "They left this morning, said you were no longer Lexcorp's problem."

Lytener didn't like the look she was giving him and asked, "Did I do something wrong?"

"You tell me," she said, then threw him the newspaper.

Edward Lytener, in confusion, took it and looked at the front page. His eyes widened and he turned pale, horrorstruck by what he was seeing.

…

Superman flew through space as fast as he could, stars rushing past him like an old sci fi show. It was exhilarating, but Superman did his best to ignore the sensation. He had to get back to Earth. Who knew what trouble was brewing there now that he was away?

Even as fast as he was, and even with Brainiacs probe tucked under his arm to point him the way this trip was going to take time. He had been unconscious in Lobo's ship, and away from Earth, for little more than a day. Depending on how fast he was compared to that ship it would probably take at least a day to get back to Earth.

And a lot could happen in a day.

…

Lois sat in her office, stretching her arms and feeling rather pleased with herself. Yet another article exposing Lexcorp corruption. All in a day's work for an ace reporter. She was prepared to celebrate later, but two things interrupted her mood.

The first was that she knew she should feel guilty for feeling good when Superman had been kidnapped. And...yeah...she felt guilty about that. She'd kind of been going back and forth between feeling great that she'd hit Lexcorp hard, and guilty that she was celebrating when Superman was who knew where?

The second thing that interrupted her good mood was Edward Lytener calling her cell phone.

She looked at the caller id as the phone vibrated on her desk and rolled her eyes. There was nothing Lytener could say that could apologize for this mess, and she really didn't need further reminder that Superman was in trouble. She picked up the phone and quickly dismissed the call.

...

Edward Lytener realized she had rejected his call, and started to bite his nails. How was he going to explain this? How could he turn this around? Superman was somewhere off in space, kidnapped by an alien, so he only had his own words with which to protest his innocence. What was he to do?

There was only one thing for it. He had to get someone else's testimony. He quickly pulled all the medical equipment off and out of him, including the oxygen feed in his arm, and got up shakily.

It was time for some drastic action.


	80. Chapter 80

Superman: The Ark of Krypton

Chapter 80

by

Jason Richard

Flying through space at such speeds meant Superman had to stop moving in a straight line. He found himself swinging towards yellow stars periodically to make certain he kept up his energy reserves. He couldn't afford to run out of energy in the cold darkness of space after all. That would kill him for certain.

But he had to keep up his speed as well. He had to get back before something happened...and something was bound to happen.

As he flew, he gritted his teeth. Just a little bit further…

…

Lytener was not the kind of man to put all his eggs in one basket. Even though he had lost one prototype laser pistol when the alien probe attacked he had managed to make another and keep it at his apartment. He may not remember how it worked, but he knew it was there and he remembered how to use it.

It was with this laser pistol that he went to Lexcorp, snuck in the back, took the elevator up, and made his way through a service entrance to Mr. Luthor's...well...Mrs. Graves office. He was going to get her to talk, to confess everything about what Lexcorp was doing. He'd give the information to Lois Lane and everything would be better.

Now if only his head would quite throbbing...and if he could stand up straight without swaying that would be nice too. He was really missing those hospital painkillers.

He cautiously approached the door, looking around to make certain no one was watching. Of course the two security guards in front of the office would be a problem, but fortunately his laser pistol had a secondary setting.

He turned the dial, rushed up, and shot the laser pistol, making a huge flash which blinded both the guards. As they rubbed their eyes in a daze he ran up, entered the door, closed it behind him, turned the dial back to lethal, and pointed it at a very surprised Mercy Graves.

Two things happened. First Lytener had been feeling dizzy before, but after all that they started to tremble, and had to hold onto the doorknob just to stay up. The second thing, which hurt a lot more…

Mercy Graves started laughing. She laughed loud and long.

"Oh are you serious?" she asked, still laughing. "You come up here, along, to threaten me and you're in this condition?"

She continued to laugh, which made Edward Lytener more and more frustrated.

"Shut up!" he cried.

"Or what?" asked Mercy, reclining back in her chair. "What exactly do you think is going to happen here? I'm going to confess and you'll no longer be the bad guy? This room has a camera. Even if I did confess that Lexcorp is still working for Lex Luthor I could claim it was under duress, which...yeah. It would be. Regardless of any other circumstances you are breaking so many laws right now I could pull out a gun of my own and shoot you and walk away scot free. You'd still be considered the bad guy, and I'd be the poor helpless victim defending myself. Face it Lytener. You're only digging yourself deeper into your own grave."

"I said shut up!" said Lytener, who was feeling lightheaded as he tried to wrap his head around what she was saying.

"So what's it going to be?" she said, smirking as he rested her hands behind her head. "Are you going to shoot me or what?"

"I...you...uh…" Lytener stammered, and then several things happened all at once.

The door opened behind him, and in a panic Edward Lytener turned around and shot the laser pistol. It wasn't, as he feared, security, but a fellow scientist. The scientist fell down, a burn on his lab coat. Edward Lytener recoiled in horror at what he had just done, but suddenly a hand reached around and crushed the laser pistol while a second hand grabbed him by the neck and lifted him up, smashing him back against the wall.

As he grabbed the arm holding him up, struggling to breath as his feet kicked uselessly against the air, he looked down and saw that the person holding him up with one arm like he weighed less than a teddy bear was none other than Mercy Graves herself.

It suddenly occurred to Lytener that this was no ordinary woman, and that it had been a grave mistake to threaten her.

"What...what are you?" he stammered as he began to black out.

Mercy Graves, surprised by the question, thought about it, and said, "Don't know what I am honestly. I've always been this strong. But who I am is Lex's employee, and that's good enough for me. Though really, you should be more concerned about yourself right now."

He didn't hear her. He had fallen unconscious. She sighed and threw him to the ground, going over and pressing a button on her desk to have the annoyance removed from her...well Lex's office.

Also, she had a very interesting piece of video footage that the press would find...interesting.


	81. Chapter 81

Superman: The Ark of Krypton

Chapter 81

by

Jason Richard

Finally Superman could see it, the planet Earth, far away in front of him as he flew through space. It was about time. With the brainiac probe tucked under his arm he pushed himself to the limit, until he could feel the Earth's sun giving him its energy.

Minutes later he was surrounded by flames as he flew down into the atmosphere. Seconds later he was flying over Metropolis to his apartment. A few people saw him fly overhead and breathed sighs of relief, but Superman didn't want to talk to them as Superman.

He needed to get information as Clark Kent. After a quick call to Ma and Pa Kent to let them know he was safe, he went to the Daily Planet.

…

"Kent!" cried White the moment he saw him walk into the office. "Where have you been?!

"Abroad," said Clark, putting down a flash drive on the desk. "Managed to get footage of Superman's fight with Lobo."

Perry White gaped at him and said, "How did you manage that?"

"Satellite footage," said Clark. "I called in a favor."

Though he didn't mention that the favor was from his favorite AI, Braniac, who did manage to get satellite footage of the battle. Clark was beginning to realize just how much he depended on that artificial lifeform.

"Listen," said Clark. "I've been completely concentrated on what I was doing for the past few hours. What's this big news everyone's been buzzing about?"

"I'll tell you," said Lois Lane, sauntering into the office with a huge smile on her face. "I may have finally busted Lexcorp for good."

"What do you mean?" asked Clark.

"Managed to get audio of Edward Lytener talking with Lex Luthor himself," said Lois.

"Isn't he your Lexcorp whistleblower," asked Clark, astonished.

"That's what I thought," said Lois. "But I guess he was just playing me. Turns out he designed technology that gave Lexcorp an edge over Superman, and that's probably what the aliens took from his mind."

"You didn't put that in a story did you?" asked Clark.

"What do you think?" asked Lois. "The story went out today...where are you going?"

But Clark didn't' answer. He had to find Lytener, and he had to do it fast.

…

Superman would have talked with Edward Lytener immediately, but he was already being escorted in a police car for shooting an unarmed Lexcorp scientist. He couldn't just break Lytener out, so he'd have to wait to talk to him. Unfortunately that wait took far longer than Superman would have liked.

And unfortunately before Superman could even decide how to tell people about all of Lytener's actions word of the scientist's actions at Lexcorp had spread quickly online, and the backlash wasn't pretty. Now in addition to being called a traitor for giving Lexcorp anti Superman weapons, he was being called a murderer. The scientist technically wasn't dead at the moment, but in recovery at the hospital, but that didn't stop the accusation from flying nonetheless.

And it was with a mood of intense dread that Lytener waited in the police station jail cell. He paced back and forth, waiting for the inevitable jail transfer. If only Superman were here. He'd explain things. He would…

Would what? Lytener was no fool. Superman may have been able to explain what happened with the red sun lasers and how Lytener had been trying to undo everything he'd done, Lytener had shot a man. It had been an accident, but that man was either in the hospital or worse. Even Superman couldn't protect him from that. He was going to jail. Edward Lytener was certain of it.

And the only conclusion he could come to for all of this was this. If only Lois Lane hadn't of published that article. Why...why had Lois done this to him?


	82. Chapter 82

Superman: The Ark of Krypton

Chapter 82

by

Jason Richard

Superman needed to speak with the press, and fast, concerning Lytener. He didn't know what he could do, but at the very least he needed to tell the truth about what happened. He was preparing to speak with someone when he got a call from Brainiac, and apparently it was urgent.

As Clark Kent, still in his apartment, he picked up his Kryptonian communicator and spoke.

"So what's going on?" he asked.

"There's been a complication," said Brainiac. "I know you are concerned about the fate of Mr. Lytener, but something has come up, and it could concern him. Or more accurately it could concern the technology he created that can sap Kryptonians of their power. It seems you were correct. We may very well need it."

The AI had Clark's full attention now.

"I have been intercepting some interstellar communications recently," said the AI. "They were faint, but I realized that they were also heavily encrypted. They also coincided with both times Lobo came after you. It's clear what's' going on. Someone has taken an interest in you and the Ark of Krypton, and they sent the bounty hunter."

"Who are they?" asked Clark.

"I am still trying to determine that," said Braniac. "What is more pressing is they have begun a process I did not think possible. I had calculated a 99.99% that it no one would figure out how to do it, and yet the process has begun all the same. All my scans indicate that someone is attempting to open up the phantom zone near Earth, and they appear to be succeeding.

It was the worst case scenario, and Clark didn't need an explanation as to why this was a bad thing. Hundreds of Kryptonian criminals were imprisoned there. If any of them got out and made it to Earth it would spell trouble.

And if all of them got out…

"Thank you," said Clark. "I'll be sure to let the world know."

Though whether or not it helped Lytener he could only guess.

…

"So you don't remember what kind of technology you made?" asked General Lane in disbelief?"

"I'm sorry," said Edward Lyenter, flustered as he was handcuffed to the table. "Lex Luthor's henchman showed up in the middle of the night and pinned me down. I swear! I'd tell you in a heartbeat if I could. But...but I'm sure I can figure it out again…"

General Sam Lane sighed in exasperation. He had been fully prepared to intervene in Edward Lytener's case if he could get that anti-superman technology, but this was an unexpected curveball. Though in truth he wouldn't put it past Lex Luthor to do something like this.

"Tell you what," said General Lane. "I'll leave my number with you. The moment you remember give me a call and I'll get you out of here."

"No please!" said Lytener as the General got up and left. "I go to trial tomorrow. I'll never live that down. Please! I can learn how to make the technology again! I promise!"

But General Sam Lane didn't listen, instead walking out of the room, despite Edward Lytener's pleading.

…

The trial went about as predictably as possible. Though Superman did go to as many news outlets as he could and shared Brainiacs news, it did little good. Without actually possessing the information for the Anti-Kryptonian tech he couldn't get a plea deal, and while doctors announced that the scientist Lytener shot would live, but even that was no help. Edward Lytener was accused of assault, and the verdict was pronounced guilty.

So Edward Lytener was led away to an armored car where he would be taken to prison. As the police led him away, someone landed in front of him.

"Excuse me," said Superman. "May I speak with him for a moment?"

Given that Superman made the police's job that much easier, they obliged. Superman came up to Lytener, who couldn't even look him in the eye.

"I'm sorry this happened," said Superman.

"It's not your fault," said Lytener, silently adding that he knew whose fault it was.

"I'm afraid there's nothing I can do," said Superman.

"I know," said Lytener, who knew full well what he'd done. As much as Superman had been willing to help him, he knew he wasn't going to break the law and bust him out of there.

Now that he had said his peace Superman heaved a sigh and flew off, and Lytener was led away solemnly.

Before he got to the car, however, he began to hear something. Despite Superman advocating for Lytener with the press, his reputation had still plummeted. For the few people who defended Lytener saying that his technology could help with these Kryptonian villains, the rest of the world responded back saying, "But he didn't know that. He built something to target Superman." in many people's eyes that was inexcusable, and many felt that Superman was being far to forgiving of someone who was clearly dangerous.

And from this mood Edward Lytener heard boos from a crowd the police had to keep at bay as he was led to the prison transport. Boos that seemed to go on forever, and kept ringing in his ear as he was driven to jail, brought out of the transport, and taken inside the gated facility. It stayed with him as he looked at the towers filled with armed guards, went through the orientation, and was brought to the area with the cells.

That booing persisted, until it was replaced by the last thing Edward Lytener expected to hear. Cheers. Were people...cheering his name?

Indeed they were, but the quality of people was...unfortunate. The prisoners were cheering and whistling for him, and it wasn't hard to understand why. Many of these men had probably been busted and turned in to the police by Superman. With technology that could beat him floating around out there, of course they found cause to celebrate. They cheered for Edward Lytener, asking when they'd get their hands on anti Superman guns.

And as Edward Lytener found himself in his cell, sitting on his bunk, he thought back. If only this had remained quiet, he wouldn't be here. Superman could have helped him turn this around if only Lois hadn't…

Lois Lane, he thought as he clenched his fists. This was all her fault.


	83. Chapter 83

Superman: The Ark of Krypton

Chapter 83

by

Jason Richard

Lois Lane was upset, though she made every effort not to show it. She to had been shocked to learn, as everyone else was, that Edward Lytener had been speaking with Superman. She hadn't been shocked to find what Luthor did to Lytener, but it didn't surprise her. None of this changed her feelings on Lytener too much, but she did think that maybe she should have kept listening. That moment where Luthor turned on Lytener would have been a big help to her.

Of course what really stung about this was what Superman did. He went to every major news outlet in Metropolis to tell what happened.

Except for the Daily Planet. Of all the reporters there, she was the one he didn't contact. That stung, and Lois Lane didn't sting easily.

"Something on your mind Lois?" asked Clark, with a little more hostility than he intended as he sat at his desk.

"I take it you don't approve of what I did," said Lois, crossing her arms and spinning her chair around to face him.

"It was cruel," said Clark, also turning his chair. "And it put an in…"

He stopped himself, but it was too late.

"And innocent man in jail?" asked Lois with a spiteful laugh. "Is that what you were going to say? Edward was hardly innocent."

"Maybe," said Clark. "But if he hadn't have been put in that position he wouldn't have ended up doing what he did."

"You mean shoot a real innocent man?" said Lois. "Come on Clark. If he had stood up to Lex Luthor in the first place he could have avoided his situation and not given Lex Luthor technology that can hurt our super powered friend."

"If he hadn't," said Clark sternly, "He could have been killed, if what you and I firmly believe about Lex Luthor is indeed true. Besides, you heard Superman. We may need that technology, if those one hundred alien criminals attack."

"He didn't know that at the time," said Lois, shaking her head. "Face it Clark. I don't doubt he was put in a difficult position, but he still chose to save his own neck rather than stand up to Luthor. I'll admit I should have kept listening and not missed the memory erasure, but that doesn't mean what Edward Lytener did wasn't selfish. At the end of the day he was motivated to save his own skin. It's as simple as that."

Clark hadn't thought of that. All he had seen was a man in a tight spot who was scared and wanted to make things right.

"He was trying to undo his mistake," said Clark. "That's why he wanted to talk to Superman in the first place."

"Well," said Lois, shrugging. "I guess that's true. Even so. He only has himself to blame for getting into that mess in the first place."

"Does he?" asked Clark. "What about Luthor?"

"The rest of us Can blame Luthor," said Lois. "Edward still should have stood up to him. I put my neck on the line all the time to take Luthor down. I've even been shot at by Luthor's goons, and I've got the scars to prove it."

Clark narrowed his eyes, "Why? Why is taking down Lexcorp so important to you?"

For a moment Lois didn't answer, but in her mind her father was yelling at her.

...

"A reporter?!" her father had demanded of a teenage Lois as she was heading off to college. "You want to be one of those money grubbing liars?!"

"No!" Lois had shouted. "I'll only tell the truth, unlike some people around here! You always say you'll be there for me, but you're never around!"

"For goodness sake Lois it was just a play…"

"It's always a play!" she shouted. "Or a dance recital, or...anything else that's ever been important to me. You always say you're going to be there! But of course I have to be where you want me. Don't I? Well why should I join the army? Why should I report for duty when you never do?!"

"I'm in the military for heaven's sake!" he shouted back. "We're saving lives! And we're short on strong people who'll do it! What are you going to do?! Talk about celebrity's clothes? You think you'll save lives with some newspaper gossip!?"

"Maybe I'll find a way to help people," she screamed. "But this is what I'm doing and you can't stop me!"

"A reporter saving people?" he barked back. "I'd love to see that."

 **…**

"Lois?" asked Clark. "Are you okay?"

Lois realized she'd been staring into space.

"It's nothing," said Lois dismissively. "and I have my reasons for going after Luthor."

She turned back to her desk, leaving Clark in thought. In truth he didn't know what was up with Lois Lane. One thing he did know, however, was that she wasn't completely wrong. Edward Lytener had been partially responsible for his own predicament. Still, Clark wished he could have helped him more.


	84. Chapter 84

Superman: The Ark of Krypton

Chapter 84

by

Jason Richard

With an imminent threat of Kryptonian villains on the horizon, Superman had to see what he could do to prevent it. The exit point was several miles above the atlantic ocean, just within the Earth's atmosphere. Superman flew out to where Braniac said it would be, accompanied by two of the AI's probes, and waited.

It would happen soon.

 **…**

"Hey!" said prisoner angrily from the top bunk. "What are you doing down there? That scraping is getting on my nerves."

"Sorry," said Lytener as he scribbled away furiously on a notepad with a marker. He mostly ignored his cellmate, but did try to write more quietly so as not to anger him. He was trying to recreate whatever it was he had given to Lex Luthor. It had to have something to do with his specialty, the study of light particles, but he just couldn't remember what it was.

He had this vague impression that the power of light was somehow related to Superman's power, so he went over equation after equation trying to figure it out.

Of course even if he couldn't figure out specifically what he made that countered Superman, if he could come up with something that could give him that kind of power, he'd take it.

He didn't know how long it would take, but he would succeed in doing it.

 **…**

Superman finally saw a portal opening. He didn't know what would happen when it did open, but he was ready to do something. It manifested as a ball of blue light as small as a penny, and slowly but surely began to grow. Eventually it resembled a ring of blue light with other colors in the center, mostly red and orange. Soon those aggressive colors formed shapes, a barren wasteland of rocks and sand.

And within that barren wasteland was an army of people clad in red uniforms, running furiously towards said portal.

"The portal should close on it's own after about twenty minutes," said one of the Brainiac probes. "We will need to keep them away from it until then."

"But they're already being exposed to Earth's sun aren't they?" said Superman. "They're going to get more powerful the longer this drags on. Aren't they?"

"I'm afraid so, Kal-El." said Braniac.

Superman steeled his determination and prepared some heat vision. Hopefully a line of fire could hold them back for a few minutes. Before he did, however, he saw something. There was a young, blonde haired girl at the forefront of them, holding a pair of devices under her arms. She also wasn't dressed in the same sort of red uniform that the army behind her wore, but a white jumpsuit.

"Braniac," said Superman. "That one at the front, what do those devices do?"

"Scanning," said Braniac, then after a moment. "It seems we are in luck sir. Those devices, when placed on both sides of the portal, will cause it to collapse."

"She's trying to close the portal?" asked Superman, though he didn't wait for an answer. It didn't matter if this one was a criminal or not, and he decided not to question his luck.

He aimed his heat vision, and blasted a line of fire between the girl and the army. As the army was held back the girl was surprised by the raging inferno, but quickly recovered, reached the edge of the portal and set one of the devices down. She was about to jump out when she noticed Superman, and was momentarily surprised to see a man flying high up in the sky.

"Come on!" said Superman, holding his arms out. The girl hesitated, but then hugged the device to her chest and jumped out. Superman caught the girl in his arms just as the fire within the portal disappeared and the army started running forward again. The girl fumbled with the second device for a few moments, tweaking some controls, until both devices emitted a harsh green light.

And then the portal disappeared, everything going silent.

Superman was stunned. Given the prospect of fighting people steadily reaching his strength he hadn't expected thing to go this easily. He looked at the young girl he held in his arms, and she looked at him in astonishment. She said a word he didn't recognize, but it was followed by something he did recognize.

"Jor-El?"

She knew his biological father? Realizing she was waiting for an answer he shook his head and replied, "Kal-El."

"Kal-El?" That seemed to confuse her greatly, and she started a sentence in an alien language, presumably Kryptonian, but before she could finish she seemed short on breath and passed out.

"What's going on?" asked Superman in a panic.

"Earth's atmosphere," said Brainiac. "Jor-El may not have had much time to program your pod, but he had just enough to program the atmospherics of the pod to slowly shift from Krypton's atmosphere to Earth's, allowing your body to adjust to the differences during your journey through space. It seems she came directly from a kryptonian atmosphere."

"Will she be okay?" asked superman.

"She's be fine," said Brainiac. "Such methods were necessary for your as you were a baby. She, however, has matured to a point where her powers have kicked in. She's already absorbing solar radiation, which is keeping her alive in an unfamiliar environment. It will take time for her body to fully adjust however. All of her body's resources are being redirected towards this task, but once that is done she should wake up. Shouldn't take more than a few days."

That was a relief. This girl, whether she knew it or not, had helped saved the Earth from an army of alien criminals with potential unworldly power. Now that it was over only question remained.

"Who is she?" asked Superman.

"A relative of yours if my scans are correct," said Braniac. "May I present you Kara Zor-El, your cousin."

 **…**

In the far reaches of space they saw, and were not pleased. However, they were still optimistic.

"The path is closed," they spoke to each other. "But it may yet be opened again. Patience and perseverance. The prize may yet be ours."

"We will open the portal again at the first opportunity."


	85. Chapter 85

Superman: The Ark of Krypton

Chapter 85

by

Jason Richard

This...this was good...this was better than he could have hoped. He checked over the equations on this notepad as he sat in that prison cell, and then he checked again. This was it. This was...perfect. Not only had Edward Lytener figured out the missing element that gave him an edge over Superman, he also figured out something else, something that he hadn't given to Luthor that could potentially let someone fight on the same level as Superman.

The first step, now, was to escape, and fortunately for him he already had a plan to do so. Given that he had made anti-Superman tech the other inmates were more than willing to give him what he needed...though he didn't mention it was for an escape attempt. A few tools, some electronics, and access to some wires connected to the lights, and the escape would begin.

It was a late night and all was quiet. The guards patrolled the prison corridors, the cells were closed, and the prisoners were going to sleep. That is, except for one, who had a remote device in his hands, which he turned dials on.

Throughout the prison all the lights began to flicker. Everyone who noticed look at the erratic bulbs wondering what was going on. That prisoner, who was of course Edward Lytener, waited a few seconds, and then turned another dial, keeping his own eyes down.

The flash of light that erupted from the bulbs blinded everyone who looked at them, which in this case was everyone but Edward Lytener. Even outside the guards in the watch tower had been blinded by their own searchlights.

And it was in this environment that Edward Lytener used a small laser to cut through the bars and walk right out of the prison, nothing but a bunch of blind men to stop him.

When the blindness finally cleared, the scientist was nowhere to be found.

…

Within the Ark of Krypton Kara Zor-El lay on a sick bed, still regenerating. Superman had watched over her for a little while, but then decided to go to the ship's bridge to review a few more of the archives.

Specifically he wanted to learn more about the cousin he had just discovered he had.

The video Braniac showed him revealed a young girl, only thirteen at the time, at the Kryptonian science academy, pacing back and forth in a testing room, filled with rows and rows of chairs at tables, not unlike the classrooms in Earth Universities...though with much more alien designs and holograms over each table.

Standing over the young girl were a man and a woman, presumably her parents.

"Oh you don't have to be nervous my child," said the father. "You will do splendidly. I just know it."

"No I won't," said Kara, still pacing nervously. "I won't. I'm going to do terribly."

"You don't know that," said the father. "This is fear talking. Nothing more, nothing less. All that fear is telling you is how much you want this. I mean if you didn't want it you wouldn't be afraid lose it failing, would you?"

"He's right dear" said the mother. "Don't let your fears tell you that you aren't one of the most skilled, talented, and beautiful young girls on all of Krypton, because I'm telling you that you are."

"What does beauty have to do with science?" asked Kara.

"Our point," said her father. "Is that you're going to do fine."

She hesitated, then asked, "Could you turn off the recording pod? I'm nervous enough with just the scholars watching. I don't need that too."

"Alright," said her father. "But I'm turning it back on the moment you're done. I fully intend to capture your moment of glory."

She seemed a little reassured by this, and then the father reached over to the flying pod this footage obviously came from.

The footage shut off, and Superman took it in. He was amazed at how...ordinary it was. A young girl nervous about a test? He'd been a boy about to take a test plenty of times.

In truth Superman had felt nervous about helping her adjust to life on a strange new planet, but he was feeling much better about the idea now. Even helping her learn to use her powers didn't seem like it would be difficult.

He's was actually looking forward to such an ordinary problem for once.

"Sir," said Brainaic. "Something's just happened."

Superman had a very bad feeling about that. He just knew it was another complicated problem.

…

"He escaped," said Bruno Mannheim in disbelief to his henchman. "He actually broke himself out of prison? For a nerd he sounds pretty legit. Maybe Luthor had him working on the wrong side of the law this whole time. So where is he?"

"Sir," said the Burly lackey. "He's here to see you."

"Well why didn't you say so?" asked Mannheim. "Send him in!"

The lackey left, and quickly returned escorting Edward Lytener, still in an orange prison jumpsuit.

"Edward Lytener," said Mannheim with a pleased grin on his face. "It's an honor. I mean I rarely hear about guys who get out of prison that quickly without a lawyer. You must have some serious brains up there."

"I do," said Lytener, who in truth was a little humiliated being in a den of thieves. Still, if he got done what he wanted to get done all would be well. He took a look at the man who escorted him in and realized he didn't want him there.

It would be better if Lex Luthor didn't catch wind of what he was about to do.

"Can we talk in private," asked Lytener.

That did set off a few alarms for Mannheim, but he had a gun hidden under his table, and wasn't directly involved in anything that had ruined Lytener's reputation, so he decided it was fine and sent the goon out. He also reached under his desk and pressed a button to activate the Lexcorp sound dampening devices.

"So," asked Mannheim. "What can I do for you?"

"I want to build some Anti Superman tech," said Lytener. "And I figure you have the resources to help me do that."

"Didn't Luthor..." Mannheim began.

"Yes," said Lytener irritably. "Luthor had my memory erased. Doesn't matter. I figured it out again, and something else that can help us beat Superman. Something good. And the best part?"

He inched in closer and whispered, "You wouldn't even need Lex Luthor anymore."

Mannheim grinned, "Oh that's dangerous ground mister. I'm not going to start a coup lightly. Tell you what. I'll help you make this stuff. If I'm impressed we can go into business. If not I'm giving everything you've got to Luthor. Deal?"

Lytener figured he could make that work in his favor, and said, "Deal."


	86. Chapter 86

Superman: The Ark of Krypton

Chapter 86

by

Jason Richard

And so Edward Lytener got to work building his new technology in an obscure warehouse. Hunched over a desk using a welding torch to put it all together, this would be the most advanced piece of technology a human being had ever developed.

And when it was done not even Superman would stand in his way.

…

Edward Lytener had changed. That much was clear. Lois Lane had interviewed the warden of the prison where Lytener had escaped, and was simultaneously amazed...and disturbed. Some back alley deal where he traded technology to Luthor was one thing. But a prison break? She hadn't thought him capable of that.

It was as she was walking back to her car that Superman landed in front of her, his arms crossed and a concerned look on his face.

"Figured you'd show up," said Lois. "There's no sign of Lytener, but can't you find him with your hearing?"

"It can be hard to find one voice among so many," said Superman. "Though it helps to know where to look. Actually that's why I'm here. I think I know once place I can look for him."

Lois nodded, "You think he'll come after me?"

"I didn't think much of it at the time," said Superman. "But when I saw him last he assured me he held no grudge against me. But the more I think back on it, the more I realized he seemed...well…"

"Disgruntled?" said Lois, sighing. "Guess I shouldn't be surprised. I'll keep my eyes open."

"And I'll keep my eyes on you too," said Superman.

"Oh really?" she said teasingly. "Should I be flattered, or get a restraining order?"

"This is serious," said Superman. "What if I'm right and he blames you for what happened?"

"I can take care of myself," said Lois. "He's a nice…" she hesitated then said, "Well he was a nice guy, but kind of a whimp."

Superman just frowned.

Lois rolled her eyes in frustration, "What do you want from me? You want me to apologize to him? After what he did? The position he put you in?"

"It could help," said Superman.

"Whatever," said Lois, walking around Superman and going to her car. "Thanks for keeping an eye out."

"Sure," said Superman, flying off as Lois drove off.

…

Bruno Mannheim strolled into the warehouse to find Edward Lytener waiting for him. At least he assumed it was him. The man before him was wearing a strange metallic suit with mechanical gold highlights. As he got closer he saw the man's face and it was indeed Edward Lytener.

"Hey Eddie," said Mannheim uncertainly. "Is this what you've been working on? What is this some kind of battle suit?"

"In a sense," said Lytener smugly. "This suit I'm wearing is actually a hologram, a hard light hologram."

"Come again?" said Mannheim.

"It's a force field that looks like a suit," said Lytener, rolling his eyes. "Come here."

He stretched out his hand and Mannheim, an uncertain look on his face, shook it. Then he frowned.

"That's weird," said Mannheim, "I can see a metal suit, feel heat there, and my hand can't close in any further, but…"

"You don't actually feel anything?" said Lytener. "Not surprising. Unlike heat, light itself is something our touch receptors never learned to pick up on. This suit is not matter. It solid light. To prove it, I'd like you to do something for me.

…

"Shoot you with a bazooka?" asked Mannheim as the bazooka was prepared. "Are you insane?"

As they stood in an open field Lytener waited with his hands on his hips and a smug expression on his face. He said, "I'll be fine. Don't you worry."

Mannheim shrugged, picked up the bazooka, aimed carefully, and fired. The rocket sped forward and hit Lytener head on, exploding in a fiery blaze. After a few moments the fire and smoke cleared and Lytener was fine, still standing there and beaming with confidence, that is until he looked at a readout on his arm. Then he became intrigued.

"Not bad," said Mannheim, impressed. "So this force field can deflect rockets. Still, that doesn't mean it can deflect Superman."

"By itself no," said Lytener. "But the data I just got tells me that this technology is working exactly as predicted, so I'm confident I can take Superman. Well, I have everything I needed. Thank your your sponsorship."

And suddenly Lytener was flying. The hard light surrounding him could be projected anywhere, regardless of gravity, and could effectively carry Lytener with it, effectively giving him the power to fly. Of course Mannheim didn't appreciate this. He was too busy getting angry.

"Everything you needed? Thank you for your sponsorship?" asked Mannheim. "You talk like our business dealings are about to end. But that can't be right. Can it?"

Lytener paused mid air and sighed, looking over at the limo parked several feet away. He pointed his finger and a laser shot out of it, cutting the car in half. Mannheim turned around, saw the destroyed car, then turned back to Lytener, the veins in his forehead pulsing.

"Really Mr. Mannheim," said Lytener. "If I was planning to take my technology with me and leave you with nothing, what exactly would you do about it?"

"We had a deal!" cried Mannheim. "That technology is mine!"

"Come an get it then?" said Lytener, smirking.

And Lytener flew away, leaving Mannheim fuming.


	87. Chapter 87

Superman: The Ark of Krypton

Chapter 87

by

Jason Richard

Lois Lane sat at her desk typing, working on the prison breakout story. She was completely in the zone, and nothing could distract her from her work. Well, almost nothing. She was an investigator, and well adept at digging up secrets, so when someone deliberately avoided eye contact, of course she saw it, and would discover whatever it was that person didn't want to talk about.

"Jimmy Olsen," said Lois, not even looking. "I see you skulking over there, and I know you took pictures today for someone else's story. Come here."

Jimmy, flustered, tried to will himself to keep walking, but Lois's piercing gaze would not be avoided, and he found himself walking over to her as told.

"Okay," said Jimmy nervously. "I know you would have found out anyway, so here...just...try not to freak out."

Lois took the picture from Jimmy and looked at it. She frowned. This couldn't be right. This had to be a joke or something.

"Whose story?" she asked.

"Jeffrey Anderson's," said Jimmy. That was the Daily Planet's military reporter, so that fit. Lois fumed, as the picture, timestamped for that very day, could only mean one thing.

As it was a picture of General Sam Lane shaking hands with Lex Luthor.

…

"Alright Lois," said General Lane over the phone. "Calm down…"

"No I will not calm down!" she practically screamed into the phone. "What are you thinking? Arranging a pardon for Lex Luthor? LEX LUTHOR!?"

As he sat in his office General Lane had to hold the phone away from his ear his daughter was so loud. Once the ringing in his ears stopped the brought the phone back.

"Look, Lois," he said. "Superman announced that there's an interdimensional prison filled with being exactly like him, and even he admits he wouldn't be able to hold all of them off if they managed to escape. We need the technology Lex Luthor has obtained."

"No," said Lois. "No! He's not interested in protecting the planet. He's only looking out for himself. He's after power. Don't you get it? If he uses that technology it could put him...Lex Luthor...in control of that alien army. Is that what you want?"

"He's a slimeball," said General Lane. "I know that. But we need him. I'll just have to keep a close eye on him. I can handle..."

"NO ONE CAN HANDLE HIM! THAT'S EXACTLY MY POINT! YOU'RE IMPOSSIBLE!" and she hung up, Leaving a very frustrated General Lane. He was not pleased by this turn of events. She hadn't yelled at him that loudly since she was a teenager, and he didn't really need the flashback.

…

Lex Luthor hadn't expected to get a call from General Lane, but he wasn't surprised. The more he thought about it, as he left his secret bunker and flew back to Metropolis, the more it seemed inevitable. Only Lex Luthor could discover the technology that could face such powerful foes. Only Lex Luthor knew where to look.

He took a cab back to Lexcorp tower, strolled into the elevator, and sauntered into his old office where Mercy Graves waited next to his desk.

"Welcome back sir," said Mercy proudly.

"Thank you my dear," said Lex, taking a deep breath. "It's good to be back."

...

Edward Lytener hid in an old Lexcorp lab that hadn't been used in a while. Technically the building was condemned, and it showed. There were cracks all over the wall and everything was covered in dust, but it still served Lytener's purposes just fine.

He typed into the controls on his arm, watching as another hard light hologram took shape. It had to be perfect for what he intended. He wouldn't take his revenge on Lois Lane by just barging in and harming her. No, that wasn't his style. He would just ruin her life the way she ruined his. He figured he could handle Superman should the alien show up, but that wasn't the only purpose of this technology.

As shown when his latest hard light hologram finally solidified. He had gotten the idea when he saw the news about Lex Luthor coming back, as he knew exactly what Lois would think about it. He knew what it would look like when this hologram acted. For, of course, the hologram was a perfect likeness for Lois Lane.

So perfect Lytener couldn't help but smile smugly at his work.


	88. Chapter 88

Superman: The Ark of Krypton

Chapter 88

by

Jason Richard

Clark look at the edition of the Daily Planet that announced Lex Luthor's return and resisted the urge to rip it to shreds. He wanted to protect the world, but entrusting it's safety to Lex Luthor was nothing short of delusional. That man had the technology to fight Kryptonians, sure, but that's like turning to a snake to fight a bear. You're as likely to get poisoned as anything else.

He looked over at Lois at her desk, and though she was typing diligently every muscle in her body was tense and on edge. He understood how she felt. He didn't think anything could make her feel better.

And then Lois got a phone call.

Clark, despite his super hearing, tried not to listen into conversations that were none of his business, but he heard Lois's tone go from annoyed to happy in an instant. He couldn't help but wonder what was going on.

"And you have info on Lexcorp?" she said. "How do I know I can trust you?"

Clark almost didn't need to hear the answer. She was excited about this. She'd check it out regardless of what the other person said. But then Clark really heard it.

"Yes," said a man's voice. "I have evidence that Lexcorp is selling to terrorist groups, and I've linked those sales directly to Luthor."

And he gave a meeting time and place for Lois. Clark made certain to take a note of that.

…

Lois knew it was a long shot, a trap even, but if there was even a slight chance someone had dirt on Lexcorp she had to take it.

Of course the fact that she was meeting this person in the woods didn't do much for her confidence. Still she had to try.

It was in those woods on the outskirts of Metropolis that Lois wandered, hand on her taser pistol just in case, as she looked for whoever had made that call. A few birds tweeted above and the leaves of the trees rustled in the wind. Lois kept expecting someone to jump out at her at any moment.

And then…

"Hey Lois," said Edward Lytener.

She shook her head and turned around, saying, "I should have known." then she saw the technologically advanced suit and added, "What on Earth are you wearing?"

"Light, Miss Lane," said Lytener smugly. "Pure light. A force of nature at my command. You don't seem particularly worried."

"I'm not," admitted Lois. "You see I have a guardian angel looking out for me. Come on out Superman. I know you're watching."

And Superman sped in, stopping right next to Lois with a whoosh that sent a ton of leaves flying everywhere.

"I figured you'd show up," said Lytener. "So, what do you think of my suit? I quite like it. It's made photons, yet as solid as your own skin. It has what I call a solid luminosity rating of ten million."

Lois sniggered.

"Don't antagonize him Lois," said Superman, giving the holographic suit the once over. "He's right. That suit is almost blinding to my X-Ray vision. I think he prepared for me being here."

"What's he going to do?" asked Lois. "Punch you with this solid luminous suit or whatever? Come on you escaped an alien with more advanced technology than anything Eddie here could dish up, and even if he did..." she looked Lytener right in the eye and said, "Do you really expect us to believe you have the guts to fight Superman when you couldn't stand up to Lex Luthor?"

Lytener frowned, "Is that why you ruined my life? Because I caved to Luthor? You don't know what you're asking."

"I think I do," said Lois, putting her hands on her hips. "You don't think I haven't put myself in the line of fire before? I have."

"Not like this," said Lytener, shaking his head. "There are three reasons Luthor hasn't already dealt with you. One is because he had incriminating information about his company so well hidden that it would have taken even you a long time to find it, as I'm sure even you can attest."

Lois said nothing.

"Two," said Lytener. "I rather suspect you amuse him. Anyone who can come close to challenging him is someone he's bound to find intriguing. I've seen how he is with that assistant of his, Mercy Graves."

Once again Lois didn't respond.

"And third," said Lytener, more serious than ever. "He could have dealt with you at his leisure, and gotten away with it."

"Oh that's ridiculous," said Lois, rolling her eyes. "I've investigated dangerous situations before and done fine. Besides, how could he get rid of me without Superman noticing? Judging by the loss of crime rates not even those sound dampening devices Intergang uses are completely blocking him anymore."

"She's right about that," said Superman.

"You don't think Luthor hasn't found ways around Superman?" said Lytener. "He has. Given his estimated energy levels I have no doubt that he can hear things on the other side of the planet...but that's only if he's listening. Like any other species he can only process so much information at a time. If Superman is distracted, like with the meteors before, then things can get done without him noticing. Luthor is quickly learning to exploit this. I guarantee it."

"Come on Lytener," said Lois, "You knew the risks when you agreed to help me."

"Knew better than you did," said Lytener.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Lois demanded.

"It means as much as I would have liked to work of the nerve to ask you out," said Lytener. "It wouldn't have been enough to help you if I hadn't seen the things I'd seen at Lexcorp."

Lois frowned. This was the first time Edward Lytener had mentioned anything about that. It took Superman by surprise as well.

"What did you see?" asked Superman.

"Something horrible," said Lytener. "Something that made me see Luthor for what he was...and made me panic when he approached me. You'll see...when I have you out of the way."

Lois took a step back and Superman took a step forward, "That's not going to happen," said the Superhero, "Please...Edward, don't do this. If you've seen something that incriminates Luthor…"

"It's not that simple," said Lytener. "It never is with Luthor." he paused, then said, "I'm done talking."

And Lytener glowed with a blinding brilliance as Lytener charged whatever abilities his new technology possessed. Superman put his fists up, ready for anything.


	89. Chapter 89

Superman: The Ark of Krypton

Chapter 89

by

Jason Richard

"Lois," said Superman as Edward Lytener's suit glowed red and menacing. "Get out of here."

"Sure," said Lois, turning the other way.

"I don't think so," said Lytener as a wave of light flew past them and surrounded them. Soon the area was surrounded in a white force field that Lois ran straight into. Even though her hands couldn't feel anything it was like trying to get past a steel wall."

"No one is going anywhere," said Lytener.

"I don't want to hurt you," said Superman.

"You won't," said Lytener, pointing his hand at Superman. A beam of red light shot out and struck Superman in the chest, sending him flying. Apparently it would be harder to dodge things moving at high speed. As Superman slowed his flight and hovered in the air he flew towards Lytener faster than the scientist could react and grabbed him around the torso from behind.

And Superman felt his energy levels begin to drop. Superman quickly noticed a red aura surrounding the scientist.

"I'm using red sun energy," said Lytener. "Don't think this will be easy."

Another pulse of red light and Superman went flying away from the scientist, crashing into the ground and stopping when he hit the white force field. Lytener shot another bolt of red light, but this time Superman was ready for it and he sped out of the way.

Lytener then tweaked the settings on his suit and the entire area was flooded with red light from his holographic suit. Superman could feel his energy dripping away, and knew he had to end this quickly.

So he flew forward and punched, feeling the energy of the holographic suit give way as Lytener stumbled back. Then Superman punched again, and again, and he kept punching as lightly as possible so as not to hurt the human inside.

Lytener, meanwhile, saw the readout in his helmet say: Shields at 95%, 89%, 83%, and so on and so forth as Superman's strength pushed Lytener's technology to the limit.

Lytener's body flashed with a blinding light, but Superman had encountered that trick before and shielded his eyes, using his hearing to find Lytener's footsteps. The blinding light quickly disappeared, and Superman resumed punching like normal.

Superman kept wailing on Lytener's holographic armor for a few minutes until finally he felt the hologram give way. Superman expected the energy suit to just disappear, and it did, but Lytener disappeared with it. Confused for a moment, Superman looked around, only to get hit with a beam of red light from out of nowhere.

Soon Superman found himself pinned to the white force field around them as that beam of red light held him there. At the other end of that beam Lytener appeared, floating a few inches above the ground, and Superman understood what had happened. That blinding light from before hid that Lytener generated a holographic duplicate as the real him bend light around him to turn invisible. While Superman listened to the sound of the hard light holograms footsteps, the real Lytener, unseen, floated away. He probably had sound dampening technology with him in addition to his light tech.

And now Superman was pinned by this beam of red sun light that was draining his powers fast.

"I won't hurt you," said Lytener. "I just need the two of you out of the way. This will be over in a minute. Heh. Look at me. Taking on Superman himself. Guess that makes me a super villain now, huh? I've thought about what I would call myself, and I thought I'd settle on Luminus. "Yeah. That works. ."

Lois couldn't believe what she was seeing. Lytener...she refused to call him Luminus...actually had the advantage over Superman. He was winning!

Or was he?

Lois quickly realized that Superman did have a few options in his situation. His heat vision, his ice breath, and yet Superman just started flying forward, muscling his way into the red beam as if he were fighting a hose of water. He was risking losing his powers, but he wasn't going to use those others.

If they worked, they'd be lethal for Edward.

So Lois had to do something. She couldn't hurt Lytener physically, of course, not when he was actually standing up to Superman. No, she'd have to hurt him the best way she knew how.

"Hey Luminous," said Lois. "I know you're trying to kidnap me and do...who knows what, but at least you've proven me right."

Lytener, trying not to get distracted, said, "About what?"

"About you being a coward," she said, looking at her fingernails nonchalantly.

"Are you kidding?" asked Lytener as he ranched up the beams to hold Superman back. "I'm taking on Superman himself!"

"Yeah," said Lois, rolling her eyes. "Selling weapons to terrorists is not enough to make you fight a bald man in a suit, but one newspaper article and you'll go after someone who wouldn't harm a fly. Real brave Ed."

"You'll see," said Lytener. "I'm dealing with Luthor soon too. I'm not playing by the rules anymore."

"What do you mean?" asked Lois.

"I mean," said Lytener, grinning, "I said I needed you out of the way. Hasn't it occurred to you that you're pretty out of the way right now?"

…

At that exact moment, something that looked like Lois Lane barged right into Lex Luthor's office and pointed a gun at Lex Luthor and Mercy Graves. Mercy was taken by surprise, but Luthor just grinned as if he'd been expecting her.

"Why Lois Lane," he said smugly. "What a pleasant surprise."

…

"You did what?" demanded Lois.

"That's right," said Lytener. "I'm using a hologram duplicate of you to frame you for the murder of Lex Luthor. I'll get revenge against both of you in one fell swoop!"

"Well bully for you," said Lois, crossing her arms. "You know if you had come up with this technology sooner you could have taken on Luthor, maybe even have been a hero like Superman, but you're not the type are you?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" demanded Lytener.

"You've no ambition," said Lois. "I've seen your type. You found a job at Lexcorp, but haven't tried that hard to move up the ladder. You found a good position and then just settled there, doing only what was expected of you and nothing more. With intelligence like this you could have been one of Luthor's top aides, but no. You stayed in an energy production job that wasn't going anywhere until Luthor brought up Superman."

"So?"

"So," said Lois. "You're half a loser. Then again that's probably unfair to losers. At least they don't pretend to be big shots. Half loser and a phony. That's what you are."

"I'm fighting Superman!" said Lytener, who hadn't noticed just how close Superman had got as he continued to struggle against the red beams from Lytener's hands.

"Yeah," and what kind of people fight Superman? "You pull a stunt like this and you wonder why people think you're a criminal."

"Shut up!" cried Lytener pointing one of his hands at Lois.

One only one beam on him now, Superman put all his remaining energy into moving forward and punching Lytener in his holographically armored face. The impact sounded like thunder as Lytener went flying, his holographic armor bursting apart in a spectacular light show.

Lytener, dressed only in his lab coat, landed on the ground and fell unconscious. The white shield that surrounded all of them disappeared, and Lois, finally, took a deep breath. Superman did as well, as the red sun energy had drained his power pretty dry. It would take a few minutes to get it all back.

"Lois," said Superman gravely. "Did you...did you mean all that? What you just said to him.

"I was trying to distract him…" said Lois defensively.

"Lois," said Superman softly. "Did you mean it?"

Lois sighed and said, "Maybe not all of it. Like I said. I wanted to distract him."

Superman took a deep breath and said, "Alright. Now, I think we'd better get up to Lexcorp tower as fast as possible.


	90. Chapter 90

Superman: The Ark of Krypton

Chapter 90

by

Jason Richard

Edward Lytener, the man who had begun to call himself Luminus, had programmed his hologram well. The holographic projector that floated inside the fake Lois Lane scanned Luthor and Mercy and detected experimental magnetic vests that would deflect bullets. The gun in the hologram's hands wasn't very useful because of this, and Luminus hadn't programmed it to use laser technology. That would have been a dead giveaway that he was the real person behind this.

Luthor, meanwhile, knew immediately what was going on, especially once he looked at scans on his computer. No doubt it was clearly impressive technology, but Luthor knew that in order to frame Lois Lane the hologram would have to use the gun, and the fact that the gun was useless right now explained why the hologram wasn't doing anything. Despite that flaw in Lytener's plan, Luthor found himself impressed by the technology he was seeing.

Clearly, Luthor had made a mistake underestimating Edward Lytener, and he didn't make mistakes often.

"Mr. Lytener," said Luthor in his smoothest voice. "I know full well you are behind this. Lois Lane can be brash, but she's not this careless. What exactly do you think you will accomplish here?"

The Hologram didn't say anything, and Luthor quickly figured out what that meant.

"Lytener tried to take on Superman," he said.

"How do you figure that?" asked Mercy.

"This thing clearly doesn't have any agency of its own," said Luthor. "Luthor probably gave it a set of instructions that didn't account for our vests. Doubtless, he'd issue new instructions..."

"But the hologram isn't responding," said Mercy, catching on. "Which means something must have happened on his end. He would have had to get Lois Lane out of the way to prevent her from having an alibi..."

"Yes," said Luthor. "And Superman must have caught wind of it with his excellent hearing."

"Couldn't' Lois herself have incapacitated Lytener?" asked Mercy. "She's been annoyingly resourceful in her attempts to get dirt on us."

"It's possible," said Luthor. "But if Lytener is as smart as I'm beginning to suspect he is he would have realized that this solid hologram is virtually indestructible. Surround himself in that and there wouldn't be much an ordinary human could do to stop you, even someone as tenacious as Miss Lane. I'm still thinking Superman got involved."

"So what do we do now?" asked Mercy, a sly grin appearing at the corner of her mouth. "I mean if it were me, letting someone as annoyingly resourceful as Lois Lane get framed would be a pretty sweet deal."

"Why my dear Mercy," said Luthor, grinning back at her. "You read my mind."

…

Superman carried Lois as he flew through the air...much more slowly than he would have liked. He was still regaining his energy from the red sun radiation the newly minted Luminus hit him with. As such he was barely faster than a car.

"How long will this take?" asked Lois as she held onto his neck.

"A few minutes," said Superman. "I've learned to absorb solar radiation pretty fast."

And indeed, despite his slow pace, he did seem to be getting faster every minute. Suddenly, however, Superman came to a complete stop, hovering right outside Metropolis city limits.

"What's wrong?" asked Lois.

Superman, in frustration, said, "Luminus came prepared."

He kicked, and his foot hit an invisible force field.

"Oh you have got to be kidding me," said Lois. "Another one?"

"He must have set up a device before," said Superman, looking around.

"Superman," said Lois. "I'm going to be framed for murder in a few minutes. We have to get in there."

"I know," said Superman. "Just...let me think."

…

The preparations only took a few minutes. Luthor reprogrammed his experimental body armor to deactivate the electromagnets in the center of his chest, that way the bullet would strike the armor itself rather than getting deflected off the magnetic barrier. It was a little dangerous, but Luthor was confident the armor would hold once Lois's holographic duplicate shot him.

It did...though it still hurt like nothing Luthor had ever felt before.

As Luthor fell, Mercy pressed a button the desk, activating a short range emp which deactivated Lytener's device. As the hard light hologram disappeared the device generating it fell and clattered to the ground. Luthor got up unsteadily, knowing from the pain in his chest that the bullet hadn't gone through the armor, but he would still have a bruise...and it was bound to be an ugly one. Still, that wasn't his first concern when he stood.

"Did we get footage?" he asked.

"The best kind," said Mercy, looking at Luthor's computer, which was still operational despite the emp.

The footage showed Lois Lane shooting Lex Luthor. The footage became static before anything else could be seen, which was just fine with Luthor. Both he and Mercy grinned, knowing exactly how incriminating this was.


	91. Chapter 91

Superman: The Ark of Krypton

Chapter 91

by

Jason Richard

Superman tried to think of how to get past the force field as he flew in the air and carried Lois in his arms, but in the end, he was forced to wait for his powers to return in full, as at his current level he wouldn't so much as make a dent.

He tried flying to another area to see how cars leaving Metropolis got in and out. Superman couldn't imagine Lytener, even if he had rebranded himself as the villain Luminus, putting drivers in danger. However, it looked like the force field was visible on roads as a wall of red light. Cars on both sides were backed up as they couldn't pass through.

"Superman," said Lois, getting worried. "I could go to jail for what Edward's going to do to me."

"Everything will be fine," said Superman. "I'm not giving up. And even if Lytener does manage to frame you I'll vouch for your innocence."

"To the press perhaps," said Lois. "But can you make a court appearance? Would a testimony from you be legit? Handing over criminals to the police is one thing, but actually appearing in court? You're not technically an American citizen. Remember?"

"It will be fine. I promise. We just…"

And suddenly the force field disappeared. Silence hung over them as they both realized what that meant. If it wasn't needed anymore, then Lois's had to have been framed by now.

Lois, though worried, sighed and shrugged, "Well, on the bright side we might not have to worry about Lex Luthor anymore."

"Lois!" said Superman, aghast.

"What?" asked Lois. "Didn't you hear Edward? After all, we know Luthor does there's something else...something that scared Edward...bad. Given that his black market weapon deals inevitably result in people getting hurt it isn't hard to imagine exactly what kind of bad we're talking about. Part of me...would be a little relieved if Luthor was out of the picture."

Superman said nothing. She wasn't wrong.

"Alright," said Lois. "Whatever Edward was planning to do is done. Let's go see what the damage is."

Superman nodded. As he flew he thought about it. What did Edward Lytener see at Lexcorp that had spooked him so much?

…

Lex Luthor was taken to the hospital, which in of itself probably proved he was up to something. Normally he'd use his own doctors, but if he was at a hospital it was easier for the press to depict him as being injured.

Superman brought Lois to Lexcorp. She didn't want to delay the inevitable, so when he put her down she allowed the cops to take her in. Apparently, video footage of Lois shooting Luthor had made its way online, and despite Superman saying to any reporters there that she was with him at the time that video was pretty solid proof.

The only good news in all of this was that Superman was able to turn in Edward Lytener to the police, though as he sat in a jail cell yet again the scientist felt a certain contentment. He had failed to defeat Superman, but he'd held on long enough to distract him and succeeded in framing Lois Lane. His only regret was that Lex Luthor had survived the attack.

But then again maybe he didn't have much to fear from Lex Luthor after all. Certainly even Luthor couldn't penetrate the maximum security that Lytener was being held in. He'd wait until he saw the inevitable result of Lois's trial, then he'd escape.

As Edward lay back in the bed of his jail cell, he rested his head on his hands and smiled at the ceiling. Luminus would not be contained forever, he thought. He'd find a way out and then get back at everyone who had ever messed with him.

Even Lex Luthor.

That being said Lytener wasn't surprised at all when Lex Luthor dropped by for a visit.

...

"Lex Luthor," said Lytener dryly as he lay back and looked through the bars of his cell. "What do you want?"

"Now now Edward," said Luthor. "There's no need to be rude."

"Oh we're on a first name basis now are we?" said Lytener. "Should I be honored...Lex?"

So he was going to be difficult. As for as Lex Luthor was concerned that was fine. Irritating, but fine. The man did challenge Superman on his own after all.

"Come now Edward," said Luthor. "I admit that I might have underestimated your potential. Surely I can arrange…"

"Spare me your patronizing speech," said Lytener. "I've no need of you."

Lex sighed, "You're not even going to consider the opportunities I could provide you? Are you sure you really want to...ahem...upset me?"

"What can you do to me here?" asked Lytener. "Besides. I know what kind of man you are. I've seen dozens of hostile takeovers orchestrated by your company. Someone has something you don't have, you want it bad. So long as I have the knowledge of this new technology in my head you won't risk losing it by harming me. I assume my technology self-destructed as I programmed it to?"

It had. Both the holographic projector that framed Lois Lane and the projector that Lytener wore on his belt to make his holographic armor had both self-destructed after a while, their circuits completely fried and their secrets hidden.

The disappointment on Luthor's face must have been obvious as Lytener just grinned and said, "Now you see, I know what goes on at Lexcorp. I heard things I shouldn't have heard and seen things that I wasn't supposed to see. That's why I was working with Lois Lane in the first place."

Luthor started to grow angry, "You what?" he demanded.

"I was feeding Lois Lane information about Lexcorp," said Lytener. "What? You plan to do something about it?"

Luthor fumed and said, "Don't try your luck with me. Those aliens had technology that can steal information from people's minds. It's only a matter of time before I invent something similar. Before this whole incident is over you'll be crawling back to me on your hand and knees begging for the chance to work for me, and I'll be laughing in your face."

"We'll see," said Lytener. "Would you go away now? I need my rest."

Luthor, still fuming, left, and Lytener was left to consider his former boss's words. Perhaps a situation would someday come when Luthor could strike at him. It would probably be a good idea to prepare for such a time.

…

Of all the places Clark Kent expected to speak with Lois Lane, this one had never even crossed his mind. He was led by some police officers to the jail cell. Lois hadn't been incarcerated yet, so it was just the temporary holding cell at the police station, and even though she still had the clothes she wore to work that day it was still so strange seeing her behind bars.

"Hey Clark," said Lois, walking up and leaning against the steel that locked her in.

"Hey," said Clark. "You are you holding up?

"I've been better," said Lois. "How are things at the Daily Planet?"

"Perry White is fuming," said Clark. "I know that's not saying much, but he's even worse than usual. I'm afraid he'll turn over his desk at any moment."

"You know," said Lois. "I'd almost give anything to see that."

They shared a chuckle, but then Clark got serious again.

"Listen," said Clark. "Superman vouched for you, so as far as I'm concerned you're innocent. I just wanted to let you know that I'll do what I can to prove it."

"Billionaire scientist frames famous reporter?" said Lois teasingly. "I think you might be getting the front page to yourself pretty soon."

"That's not what I…"

"I know," said Lois. "I know. I do appreciate it. Really."

Clark could see the worry, even if she tried to hide it. He said, "We'll prove your innocence, Lois. Everything will be fine. I promise."

Lois gave him a strange look, narrowing her eyes suspiciously. For a second Clark had this sneaking suspicion that he was being examined, but then she just shrugged and said, "Thanks, Clark."

And Clark nodded.


	92. Chapter 92

Superman: The Ark of Krypton

Chapter 92

by

Jason Richard

The next stop on Clark's list was a visit with Lytener. He just barely managed to get clearance to the high-security wing of that prison. He found Lytener lying in his bunk reading a magazine. He saw Clark and regarded him blankly.

"Hello," said Lytener. "Here for an interview?"

"Not exactly," said Clark. "I just wanted to say that I'm sorry about how this all turned out."

"No hard feelings," said Lytener. "You kept your promise."

"Yeah," said Clark. "Except...I know you framed Miss Lane. I do intend to find evidence of her innocence."

Lytener regarded him carefully, weighing his options. Then he picked up a marker, ripped a page out of the magazine, and wrote something down. He then handed the sheet to Clark through the bars.

"This address," said Lytener. "Is just outside the city. It looks like a normal chemical plant, but it's actually a laboratory. If you do decide to go there be very careful. It's dangerous."

"What…" began Clark.

"Listen," said Lytener. "You unearth that place's secrets and you'll understand why I was terrified of fighting Luthor."

Clark looked at the address, then back to Lytener, who looked pleading.

"Mr. Lytener," said Clark slowly. "I spoke with Lois as well. She seems to be under the impression that you only had the courage to fight Superman because you knew he wouldn't hurt you, that even with the technology you invented you still wouldn't go up against Luthor. Would you really fight someone harmless over someone dangerous to everyone...because it's safer?"

Lytener didn't answer but clenched his fists. The silence, ironically, told Clark everything.

"Well Mr. Lytener," said Clark. "I do hope things turn out better for both you and Miss Lane. Thank you for the tip. I'll use it as well as I can. Have a nice day."

And Clark left, leaving Edward Lytener to ponder this conversation, his blood boiling in frustration. Was it true? Would he only fight a despicable man like Lex Luthor if he knew he couldn't get hurt? Was he really such a coward?

…

Superman flew out to the building and sure enough, it looked like any chemical plant in the Metropolis area. He tried using X-Ray vision but couldn't see in. It wouldn't surprise him if Lex Luthor hadn't had all his facilities lined with lead after Superman admitted he had X-Ray vision to the press. Maybe he should have kept an ability or two secret, but he had wanted to be trustworthy. Whatever the consequences it was too late to do anything else.

Given Lytener's warning, something had to be going on inside that facility, something horrible. Going in would be dangerous, as Superman or Clark. Luthor no doubt had red sun weapons to protect his assets, especially now that he was getting that pardon in exchange for such technology. Rushing in with his speed to keep from being noticing was risky under those circumstances.

So how to go in? He could go in as Clark Kent, but would anyone believe a newspaper was interested in a chemical plant? No. There wasn't any excuse to go in there, barring an industrial accident, something Clark would never even consider causing.

So for the moment, he went for a stakeout.

He parked a surveillance van in the woods nearby, set himself up with a long range camera and long range sound recorders. Not that he needed any of this to see or hear long distances, but he would need it to record. He had to find incriminating evidence after all. He also used his x ray vision, though that wouldn't exactly be usable.

He waited for a few hours but saw nothing wrong. He saw trucks come and go and people go in and out, but it took a while for anything to come us as suspicious.

He finally saw it.

It was like the trucks he saw before and using his x-ray vision he saw that those carried various chemicals or equipment. None of that stuck out to him as suspicious in a place like this, but this particular truck had a lead lining so he couldn't see inside.

Now that was suspicious.

He saw the truck to go an indoor loading back which began to close. He wasn't going to be able to get information with this equipment. He'd have to go inside with a bug and hope he wasn't noticed, or that the place wasn't rigged with some sort of ren sun trap.

He took a deep breath and rushed inside, with his speed and x-ray vision he was able to avoid being seen and he made in inside the loading back, finding a hiding spot behind some barrels.

He lifted the camera he took with him and started recording. Whatever was in that truck had to be important. The doors to the loading bay closed, slamming shut ominously.

No turning back now.


	93. Chapter 93

Superman: The Ark of Krypton

Chapter 93

by

Jason Richard

Clark waited behind the barrels as the men started unloading the truck. Looking through the barrels with his x-ray vision he could see that the barrels were marked with a biohazard symbol. He used his vision to zoom in on the clipboard the driver of the truck now carried. The line that caught his eye read:

Twenty Four Barrels of Prometheite. That was a banned substance. Definitely incriminating evidence.

Superman waited, and most of the barrels were brought off in one direction, but one barrel was carted a different way. Which to follow? Leaning out he already had footage of most of the barrels, so numbers weren't an issue. On a hunch, he decided to follow the single barrel. Chances were the other barrels would go into storage, while the lone barrel was about to be used for something.

Taking a deep breath Clark blew and knocked over some tools of a nearby workbench. As the men in the room looked over at the distraction Clark sped as quietly as possible towards the door the barrel disappeared behind before the electronic locks could shut him out.

Tracking the barrel with x-ray vision Clark used his hearing to keep clear of anyone patrolling the corridors. Quietly Clark flew a few inches above the ground to keep from making a sound as he followed that barrel and making sure to keep out of sight of any security cameras.

Eventually, Clark saw the man taking a barrel to a lab...a lab coated with lead, it would seem. Whatever went on in there was fit for extra precautions.

And the Barrel headed straight for it.

Clark had a hunch that this was it. This was the secret of this facility, the thing that Lytener was so afraid of. He took a deep breath, waited for the man carting the barrel to go inside, then rushed inside at the last-second before the electronic locks could engage.

The man carting the barrel, in dirty overalls, looked around as he heard a whoosh, but Clark was already hiding behind some sophisticated equipment, so the man just shrugged it off.

Still no red sun traps or anything like that. Clark was actually very surprised he was able to get this far undetected.

In that room, he saw many different machines, the purposes of which eluded him. He also so a row of large metal boxes in the back, each as large as a shipping crate. He still couldn't see through them due to lead, so he'd have to wait to find out what was in them.

The man he'd been following left the barrel next to one machine and then turned to leave. Soon Clark was alone in the room, and he had the perfect opportunity to snoop around, keeping out of sight of the security cameras of course.

He sped to another corner, then another, then another, taking a look at each of the machines in turn. If course that didn't accomplish much. He couldn't really discern what the machines were for. Nothing is this room advertised it's purpose.

Except for one thing. In the exact center of the room, Clark realized, was a chair covered leather straps. There could only be one reason to have something like that.

And then suddenly the doors to the room began opening and Clark sped back to a hiding spot.

Four men came into a room. Two big burly security guards dragging a man in a lab coat, obviously a scientist, by the arms, and another man in a lab coat following them. Within moments the struggling scientist was strapped to the chair with a gag in his mouth while the security guards stood back and the other scientist coat stepped up to a control console.

"Let's see," said the scientist. "Ah, this one." and he pressed a button.

A moment later one of the machines, a giant laser looking thing, moved over with a lot of mechanical whirring and pointed itself at the scientist strapped to the chair. The man, struggling and whimpering through the gag, was absolutely terrified.

"Now," said the scientist at the console, grinning. "Let's begin."

As the laser hummed to life, Clark knew he couldn't just stand by anymore. He quickly changed into Superman, sped up, tied up the guards and the scientist to a column with some nearby metal rods, and punched the laser, smashing it to smithereens. The man strapped to the chair cringed, even as Superman sped up and ripped the restraints off him.

"Can you tell me what's going on here?" asked Superman.

"They were about to experiment on me," said the terrified scientist. "If he needs someone to disappear he experiments on them first. Please, you have to get us out of here?"

"There are others?" said Superman. "Where?"

The scientist went over to the console and pressed a button. A moment later the metal containers in the back opened up.

Out of those containers came the most horrifying thing Superman had ever seen.

It was people who had obviously been experimented on, deformed and broken. One man had extra arms and legs and couldn't walk straight, another had scar tissue all over his body, one had slimy green skin, and many more had equally disturbing traits.

This was it, thought Superman. This is what scared Lytener. The scientist these people were about to experiment on must have been a whistleblower or a malcontent like Lytener, and this was Luthor's way of getting use out of people because making them disappear for good. Test subject for whatever twisted curiosity Luthor's experiments needed to satisfy.

This had to stop.

Unfortunately, right at that moment, a wall began to open up, alarms blaring at full volume. As it raised, the hinges groaning from the weight, Superman saw a gigantic pair of metal legs, and as the wall continued to rise it revealed a truly massive armored robot.

Well, it was too be expected. If they hadn't known he was there before, destroying that laser before meant that they knew he was there now. Superman raised his fists, ready for a fight.


	94. Chapter 94

Superman: The Ark of Krypton

Chapter 94

by

Jason Richard

Superman used his heat vision to cut a pathway out of the building, through some hallways with no people in them. A few more strategic blasts caused roofs to collapse, cutting off other hallways so the security in that building couldn't cut off their escape.

"Get out of here! Go!" cried Superman as the poor, deformed mutants scrambled, eager to be done with the cruel experiments that were done on them. As they fled the robot paid them no mind. All of its systems programmed it to focus on the individual with alien DNA.

Superman turned to face the robot and was immediately met with a bright red light being emitted from nodes on the robot's body. The red sun energy began draining him immediately.

So the first thing Superman did use heat vision on the roof above him, blasting a hole to let the sun in. As sunlight streamed in, replacing what the red light took away, Superman stood his ground as the robot advanced.

Superman had to play things safe until the victims were out of the room as he didn't want his actions to accidentally get them hurt, so for a few moments, Superman stayed rooted to that spot.

First, the robot started shooting twin gatling guns at him. Superman's arms moved in a blur as grabbed the bullets and dropped them. Hundreds of bullets showered on him, and he kept his arms moving. He couldn't risk much more as a single ricocheted bullet could harm one of the escaping prisoners.

He looked over, seeing that they were getting away. It wouldn't be long before he could go all out to take this thing down, but the sunlight above him was only slowing the power drain. He couldn't drag this out forever.

Then the robot fired a pair of missiles and Superman grabbed them, throwing them away from the prisoners as they went off in a fiery blaze.

The robot switched weapons yet again to a pair of railguns, each firing a large slug that traveled at the speed of light. Superman hit them away, their impacts leaving small craters in the ground, but with each bullet Superman felt himself back away, getting closer and closer to the edge of the sunlight he was standing in.

A glance to the escapees. If they could just get a little bit further…

The robot was well designed. It noticed a glance and fired a smaller weapon. If Superman had noticed it he could have knocked it away no problem, but at the glance, it targeted where Superman wasn't' looking, and the bullet was silenced with advanced Lexcorp technology. Not knowing it was there Superman flew backward. He didn't go far, but he was just outside the sunlight.

Without that to help him recharge, and with Superman still off his guard from the surprise attack, the vulcan cannons wailed on him, the spray of bullets sending him backward and away from the sunlight. The robot continued to shine its red lights as it fired relentlessly.

Superman's power was draining. He couldn't afford to stall any longer. He looked over at the prisoners to see how far away they were. To his relief, they were far enough.

Superman flew up, bursting through the roof as sunlight poured into him. For a few seconds, he let that radiant energy flow into his body and revitalize him. Then he dove back down, crashing through the roof again and punching the robot into the ground, a crater forming below it as the shockwave shattered every single piece of equipment into the room into smithereens and put cracks in the walls.

Good thing he waited for the prisoners to leave. If they had been close to this their bones would have shattered from the shockwave.

The robot was down for the count instantly, sparking and twitching as its systems died, a punch shaped dent in the hull.

That was very different from the last robot Superman had fought. That had felt at least a threatening to him, but he had stopped this one with a single punch. He was getting more used to his powers and was better able to store solar energy and release it at will. Compared to an alien like Lobo or even Lytener's unique technology, this was nothing.

Superman looked over and saw that the poor mutated people were fully out of the facility, but Lexcorp security was about to chase after them. Superman flew over, landing in a field between the mutants and the security, all of whom were armed with tasers and night sticks.

The security guards stopped immediately.

"These people are under my protection," said Superman. "I suggest you let them go. It would be pointless to try and fight me now."

They didn't argue, but left, turning back to the partially destroyed facility. The mutants, meanwhile just stared stoically. Superman didn't blame them. Who knew how long some of them had been kept in there. He followed them as they made their way towards Metropolis.

Tomorrow's paper was going to have quite the story indeed.

…

 **Superman Frees Lexcorp Prisoners**

That was the headline to Clark Kent's article. The prisoners Lexcorp had experimented on and deformed made it to Metropolis, causing quite a scene. Due to the sheer volume of them, there wasn't enough room at the police station to give them all protective custody, but since many of them had trouble moving they were admitted to Metropolis General Hospital, with as many officers as could be spared to protect them and ask them questions.

Many said the same thing, that they had been imprisoned and experimented on. Some were homeless, taken off the streets where they wouldn't be missed. A handful of them were indeed in missing person reports, usually Lexcorp employees that vanished. All of those men said exactly the same thing, that they found out about Lexcorp criminal operations and were put away before they could leak the information. Some of them even reported that Lex Luthor himself threatened them.

Lex Luthor himself, meanwhile, was not pleased with this turn of events.

…

Lex Luthor tapped his fingers on his desk, most displeased as he waited. He put all his other work and all other appointments aside for this. Someone had failed him, and he was going to do something about it.

Eventually, a man in a lab coat entered, shaking nervously.

"Sir?" he said, his voice shaking. "You wanted…"

"What did you do?" said Luthor. "When I said I wanted you to collect riff raff for experiments, I specifically said I wanted people no one would miss. What in the world made you think that men I wanted to disappear, men who could upset the balance I've worked so hard to achieve for my company, were worth keeping alive for this? These men have seen my face. There's enough testimony in those mutated people to bury me. What were you thinking?"

"We were running out of subjects," said the scientist desperately. "Finding people who won't be missed by anyone isn't easy you know. Plus we couldn't take them off the street too fast. Even the homeless will be noticed if there's no one left at the shelters. I had to improvise to meet your quotas."

Lex Luthor seethed, "Oh I see, my quotas. So it's my fault is it?"

The scientist was horrified at his mistake, but couldn't find the right words to correct himself.

"Tell me," said Luthor. "Just how did you get ahold of these dissidents anyway? Wait, don't' tell me, I can guess. When I want someone to disappear, someone who knows something about Lexcorp that he shouldn't or will leak information to the press that he shouldn't' leak, I give him over to Mannheim's Intergang and they deal with it the way only a criminal gang could. So...you bribed him?"

The scientist nodded.

"Well," said Luthor. "I think we both know what happens next. Unless you want Intergang to make someone in your life disappear, say...you're wife perhaps? What will you do?"

The horrified scientist swallowed nervously and said, "Um...go to the police and confess? And take full responsibility for what was done to those people?"

"Very good," said Luthor, nodding.

The silence that followed was almost as terrifying as the conversation.

"Well?" said Luthor as the scientist waited. "Either you know where the Metropolis Police Station is or you have the means to find it. What are you still doing here?"

"Of course sir!" said the scientist, leaving immediately.

Luthor, meanwhile, rubbed his temples. That wasn't going to solve the problem completely. Too many people saw the condition of those victims. This would be a black mark on Lexcorp as a whole, even if he could avoid legal ramifications personally.

And of course, he was going to have to have a conversation with Mannheim as well.


	95. Chapter 95

Superman: The Ark of Krypton

Chapter 95

by

Jason Richard

"You know," said Lois into the phone at the police station. "I'd normally be furious that someone else got such a big scoop, especially on Lexcorp, but seeing as I'm behind bars right now I'll just be glad someone caught Luthor red handed."

"And that his prisoners were freed and get now get treatment for their conditions?" asked Clark.

Lois smiled, "Yes Clark," she replied. "That too."

"So," said Clark. "The trial is tomorrow?"

"Yeah," said Lois. "So...can I count on you as a character witness?"

"Well," said Clark mischievously. "I'm not so certain you'd want me to be there. I'd be under oath, after all."

"Hilarious," said Lois, rolling her eyes. "Seriously though, what do you intend to say?"

Clark took a deep breath and said, "I will be honest. You're not the most compassionate person I've ever know, but you'd never shoot a man in cold blood."

"That'll do. Thanks," said Lois. It was at that moment that the police came over to tell her time was up.

"Talk you to later," she said, before hanging up.

…

That very day Edward Lytener got a very unusual visitor. Right outside his cell was none other than General Sam Lane. Lytener could only think of one reason why a general would be there to see him.

"My technology is not for sale," said Lytener. "At least not while I'm behind bars. Besides, hasn't the military reinstated its contract with the now pardoned Lex Luthor?"

"You haven't heard have you?" said General Lane. "That pardon is being reevaluated in light of recent events. When we issued that pardon Luthor was, as far as we knew, the only game in town, what with you being his employee. Now that you are a free agent you are our best alternative. On top of that Superman dug up a dirty little secret and the Daily Planet told the world. Lexcorp is on shaky ground right now. Believe me."

So Clark Kent did follow up on the lead. That was good, but how did he get Superman in on it? What method did that man have for contacting the alien hero? Lytener couldn't wrap his head around it.

Still, it didn't mean he was safe from Luthor yet, and seeing those men in their mutated state had been a terrifying experience for him. Technically he was never supposed to see them. He'd gotten an anonymous message and managed to catch a glimpse of them. It had scared the living daylights out of him.

"So here's where we stand," said General Lane. "The public is putting a lot of pressure on us not to work with Luthor. You, on the other hand, are old news. If you could supply us with weapons to help us stave off the Kryptonian breach that Superman says is coming then I can put you under my protection."

"Seriously?" said Lytener, rolling his eyes. "All military technology comes from Lexcorp. He'll have back doors installed into everything. Why would I seek refuge in a fortress my enemy holds all the keys to?"

General Lane smiled, "Not all of our technology comes from him. I tend not to put all my eggs in one basket. I have a facility with technology from Lexcorp's biggest competitor, Star Labs. They designed this prison you're in right now. Imagine that, but with the military protecting you. It would still be a prison, but you would be safe."

It was tempting, very tempting. In fact, it might work out well for him. If he did succeed in creating technology that could protect the planet that might get him a pardon of his own. However…

"There is a catch though," said General Lane. "You must confess to framing my daughter."

Lytener froze up, "No deal."

"Come on," said General Lane. "We both know she didn't kill Luthor. My daughter hasn't got it in her. Confess, and…"

"No deal," said Lytener coldly.

General shook his head and said, "I can give you the resources to work, and you know what's coming. Would you risk the planet over this?"

Lytener regarded him coldly and replied, "Would you?"

General Sam Lane leaned in close to the bars and Looked Lytener right in the eye. Lytener stood up and did the same to the general. After a few minutes neither of them said anything, until eventually, the general sighed, handing Lytener a card through the bars.

"My number," said the general. "Just in case you change your mind."

Lytener took the card and looked at it, thinking it over as the General left. Whatever his feelings on Lois Lane, this was something he'd want to keep around.

…

They were growing impatient. Their plans had been halted yet again. It would take some time before they could open the portal again, but they might be able to let at least one Kryptonian out of the phantom zone. Just one. He could be their partner in defeating Superman, and perhaps steal the knowledge they needed from Edward Lytener as well. It would be tricky. The one they released couldn't know the true nature of the information Lytener had. As a Kryptonian, he'd realize that such information could be used against him just as much as it could Superman. They would have to play it carefully.

For when they released General Zod.


	96. Chapter 96

Superman: The Ark of Krypton

Chapter 96

by

Jason Richard

Lois Lane's trial didn't go well at first. Despite multiple character witnesses, Including Clark Kent, most of the staff of the Daily Planet, and her own father General Lane, Lex Luthor's lawyers were still able to convincingly spin it that it was Lois who shot Lex Luthor. With video evidence backing up that claim, it was hard to write it off, and Lois's story about Lytener framing her has little evidence to back it up as Lytener's technology had fused itself out after his capture and incarceration.

The only ray of hope arrived when Superman entered to testify. He was allowed in as the judge wanted to see what he had to say, but Superman knew exactly how Lex Luthor's lawyers would spin it. He wasn't really an American citizen, but an alien who had no documentation even from other nations. His testimony could not be accepted, according to them.

However, things went a little better than expected.

"It is a moot point," said the judge. "Not being an official citizen of the United States does not disqualify someone from presenting evidence. As for lacking documentation from his country of origin, the law does not account for countries from a planet that was destroyed. Objection overruled."

That went more smoothly than Superman could have hoped for. Despite the one judge who released Mannheim, Superman supposed Luthor didn't have all judges in his pocket.

The trial actual went pretty well after that as well. With Superman's testimony, the jury found Lois not guilty. It wasn't unanimous, but enough people trusted Superman to take him at his word. That one testimony was all it took, and Lois walked out of that courthouse a free woman.

"Hey Lois," said Clark, walking up to her as they left the courthouse.

"Hey Clark," said Lois, a wave of relief washing over her. "Thanks for coming"

"My pleasure," said Clark. "Finally something good happened. You going to press charges for him framing you?"

"We can't prove it was him and not Lytener," said Lois. "But that's nothing to worry about. Lytener's in jail and Luthor will be soon."

"Of course you know what this means," said Clark. "Superman only found out about that lab because Lytener told him."

"He could have told me," said Lois. "To think he was holding out on me this whole time! He's such a…"

She stopped and didn't need to look over to see Clark's disappointing stare.

"Coward?" said Clark. "You know you could have ended up one of the victims Superman released from that lab if Lytener had told you that."

"I'm prepared for risks like that," said Lois. "Even if he wasn't he still should have told me about it."

"Maybe," said Clark, not wanting to argue about it.

After a moment of silence walking down the city sidewalk, Lois said, "Hey, was it just my imagination, or did you disappear midway through the trail?"

"You must have imagined it," said Clark. "How would I have gotten past the cops out the door?"

"I don't know," said Lois. "But for a while, I couldn't see you. It was right about when Superman took the stand, now that I think about it."

Clark had to resist the urge to react. Did she…

"I never left my seat," said Clark. "You just imagined it."

"Okay," said Lois, shrugging. "Whatever you say."

And they hailed a cab, though Clark couldn't help but wonder what Lois was thinking.

…

The phantom zone was a dreary realm, filled with red light that made one think their eyes were bleeding. Time was different there, putting one's body in a form of stasis. That meant that they didn't age, but it also meant that one didn't get hungry, didn't sleep, or change at all. Whatever emotion one felt as they went into the phantom zone was the same emotion they felt their entire stay there. No matter how much time passed that same emotion would be the one coursing through their soul.

And considering it was where criminals went, one could imagine what sort of emotions one would have been sent to that place. For some it was terror, for some it was despair, and for some it was rage.

And it was the latter emotion that General Dru-Zod felt constantly within that realm.

The General, a tall Kryptonian with dark hair and stern features, stood looking over this corner of the phantom zone, a barren desert of sand and rock illuminated in hellish red light. Since one did not feel get hungry in the phantom (unless they were hungry arriving) they didn't exactly need some fertile paradise to survive. Still, General Zod hated being stuck here, hated the people who sent him there, and absolutely hated that he had to rely on strangers to get him and his men out.

He found he hated a lot of things these days.

Finally, as he waited, a hologram appeared, though the image was fuzzy and distorted. Zod clenched his fists. He really hated when he couldn't look someone in the eye.

"General Zod," said the hologram. "We require your assistance."

"Yes," said Zod irritably. "I would assume that is why you are opening the phantom zone in the first place. I don't need things repeated to me like a child."

"Indeed," said the hologram. "But unfortunately we run the risk of being destroyed ourselves before that can happen. We have a method that can bring you out of the phantom zone, albeit temporarily. Once the threat to us has been neutralized you will have to go into the phantom zone for a short while again, but by then the portal shall be opened for good and all your people can get out."

"If you…" he started to say, but then he fought himself not to snap angrily. Having only one emotion was quite a bit of trouble for him. It made it difficult to think. At least the phantom zone didn't suspend his thoughts, he thought. That's the one blessing you have, so think it through. Don't complain that a temporary escape is not what was promised, they still intend to release us for good later. Just focus on the objective.

He took a deep breath and said, "Alright, what do you need me to do?"


	97. Chapter 97

Superman: The Ark of Krypton

Chapter 97

by

Jason Richard

Zod appeared on the outskirts of Metropolis in his black and silver Kryptonian officer's uniform, phasing into existence in a dim blue light. Once there he did something he hadn't done in a long time, since before being put into the phantom zone's partial stasis.

He took a deep breath.

The air on that planet felt good. No, it wasn't just the air, but the warmth. The sun was high above, filtered by the trees, but it was there anyway. The phantom zone had been cold, very cold indeed.

This was a taste of the freedom to come for all Kryptonians trapped there.

It was also nice not to feel rage anymore. That phantom zone partial stasis was easily the worst part of that imprisonment. But what emotion was this? It took him a moment to work it out, then he remembered. Hope. He had hope, for the first time in a long time, and he wasn't about to squander that. He would release the other Kryptonians from the phantom zone to rebuild their world, and he would destroy anyone who got in his way.

Still, at the moment he needed patience. According to his partners outside the phantom zone, there wouldn't be much time before he was drawn back to that place, but he would have enough time for the ancient powers of his people to fill him up. He would need to wait some time, about half one of this planet's rotation, and then it would be safe to go after the scientist.

In the meantime, Zod wished to do two other things he had not done since before going into the phantom zone.

Eat and sleep.

…

Lex Luthor sat in his office, pouring his third glass of wine. This had been a bad day for him. He was under investigation with evidence that could actually tie back to him, Lytener had technology that Luthor had intended to be exclusive to Lexcorp, and he'd even failed to frame Lois Lane. He was waiting, just waiting, for some good news.

And as he sat there, drowning his trouble's in wine, an opportunity for good news finally appeared.

"Lex," said Mercy's voice over the office phone's speaker. "You remember that data we got when the phantom zone portal almost opened before? We're getting readings from that energy again."

Lex Luthor put down the wine and looked over at his computer, where the new data had just been sent to him. It was true. Superman had apparently managed to close the phantom zone before, but something was still trying to open it, and it had opened again for a few minutes. Not enough time for an entire army to get out, but judging by the energy output it was entirely likely at least one Kryptonian escaped.

That could be bad. Superman had proved that the red sun technology wasn't ready for a Kryptonian with full mental capacities in full command of his power. Still, if he could intercept this Kryptonian, it could be the opportunity he was looking for. Maybe not to absolve himself, but at the very least make himself indispensable.

Luthor pushed a button on his desk and said, "Mrs. Graves, drop everything. We've got work to do."

…

Clark was driving in his car, lamenting the fact that he had to do so to keep up appearances even though he could fly when he got a message from Brainiac.

"Sir," said Brainiac, his mechanical voice coming all the way from the Arctic. "Do not be alarmed. I have set up a communications method to contact you at any time. I am projecting sound that can reach the far corners of the Earth, but on a frequency only you can hear. I'm afraid I've detected evidence of a phantom zone breach. One person, it seems, has escaped, and he's in Metropolis. I cannot tell exactly where, but you should search on the east side of the city.

Clark drove home as fast as he could, changed into Superman, and flew to the East side of Metropolis as fast as he could. There he waited, listening for any signs of trouble as he flew above the city.

What could this Kryptonian criminal possibly be doing right now?

…

Zod sat in the alley eating a hot dog. He'd had no idea what it was when he zipped past the hot dog vendor and taken the food, but he was so hungry he didn't even care. Being in the phantom zone's stasis meant that he didn't need food, but he still missed it. He rather suspected he wouldn't like whatever this thing was before he'd gone into the phantom zone, but not having food for so long meant that this was...adequate. Perhaps he could find something better later. What did these Earth people see in this food anyway?

In the meantime his new powers were incredible. Being able to move so fast meant that the human had only felt a whoosh of wind and hadn't noticed anything was taken from his vending stand. Furthermore, Zod felt stronger every minute. He hadn't been there for half of this planet's cycle yet, so he had to remain hidden, but soon, very soon he could start using this power's full potential.

Now to the other thing he didn't get to do in the phantom zone. Sleep.


	98. Chapter 98

Superman: The Ark of Krypton

Chapter 98

by

Jason Richard

When the super hearing started it not only woke Zod up from his nap, but it was quite disorienting. So many voices and sounds all at once, too many to organize. How did the one Kryptonian here stand it? The speed and the strength felt great, but his hearing?

Zod took several deep breaths, sat down cross-legged, and concentrated. He could get through this. He was a Kryptonian soldier. He would master these powers. They would not master him.

…

Edward Lytener heard the news that Lois had been found not guilty, and he didn't take the news well. He lay down on his prison bed with his arms crossed and his face in a scowl. After all the effort he had gone through to get back at Lois she'd gotten off scot-free. He hadn't been at the trial personally as his last escape wouldn't allow him to be moved from maximum security, but he had done a video testimony where he denied everything about his hard light holograms.

It hadn't been enough. Lois was free and he was in prison. At least Lex Luthor was in hot water with no Superman to bail him out.

Lytener figured it might be best to just lie low for a bit and not attract attention to himself. If he waited this out he could strike when they least expected it and stay out of trouble.

In a prison this secure, what trouble could he be in?

…

The time to strike had almost come, for Zod. He wouldn't go after the scientist immediately. First, he had to neutralize his greatest threat, which he saw flying over the city from his alley. This Superman, as he was apparently called, had been given a lifetime to master these powers, inevitably making him faster and stronger than Zod no matter how long he waited. Zod would need to use his military experience and cunning to even the odds.

He'd finally gotten all the powers he was supposed to get. Speed, strength, heat vision, ice breath, flying, and x-ray vision. Now he just needed a plan. And for that, he needed to know the limits of these powers.

He tried holding his breath and felt nothing, so choking was out. He tried squeezing his own wrist to get a sense of how strong and durable he was. He was able to leave a bruise, but the wound healed itself pretty quickly. He tried to dislocate a shoulder and was able to do it. The bone didn't go back in automatically, and he had to put it back in himself. So the healing only sped up the natural process and nothing else. Good to know. He used heat vision on himself, and that actually put a burn on his skin, and that didn't heal as fast. After all these experiments he formed a plan of action. First, he needed a change of location, but it shouldn't be hard to get Superman to his chosen battlefield. Superman had to be looking for him.

So Zod, his black uniform standing out against a white building, flew up and revealed himself to Superman. The flying hero took one look at the alien general and flew over to attack. He did not recognize him for the Kryptonian he had seen in Brainiacs footage, all he knew was that this was a Kryptonian criminal, and as this man flew off to his chosen battleground Superman chased after him.

Superman was clearly faster than the other Kryptonian, but Zod had training in combat fighters used in deep space. They were small, one man crafts that were fast and maneuverable. His experience with such craft allowed him to predict where his opponent was going to fly as well as fly in such a way that his opponent would lose him easily.

And so that's how it went. Every time Superman thought he was close enough to grab him and pin him down Zod pulled a maneuver and got away. They flew through the city like this for a few minutes until Zod reached his destination just outside Metropolis.

It was a metal mill, filled with a surprising amount of lead.

Superman almost paused his flight. Why would he go there? This place would block x-ray vision for both of them, and yet that is exactly where this Kryptonian was headed.

And then Zod burst through a wall. Superman quickly followed him inside, but then dove down to pull some mill workers out of the way of the falling debris. As he set them down they ran off and Superman looked around.

And he couldn't find the other Kryptonian. Suddenly Superman understood.

With lead everywhere, from vats filled with molten lead, sheets and blocks of finished lead, and crates filled with lead ore, there were plenty of places for the Kryptonian to hide. The other Kryptonian would undoubtedly have super hearing, and if anyone could figure out how to move so that super hearing couldn't catch you it would be someone else with super hearing.

And Superman couldn't just trash the place to find him as there were still mill workers in hazmat suits all trying to escape the building.

Superman kept his guard up, as it was clear this place put him at a huge disadvantage. He looked around asking himself where the other Kryptonian was, and when he would strike.


	99. Chapter 99

Superman: The Ark of Krypton

Chapter 99

by

Jason Richard

Superman looked around the metal factory, keeping an eye out for the escaped Kryptonian criminal, but also for the factory workers who were still evacuating. He would rush them out himself, but that could leave him open for attack. For a moment Superman was still as machinery kept running and workers ran as fast as they could.

Then Zod attacked, flying out of his hiding spot behind lead blocks, punching Superman with a sound like thunder, and flying away to another hiding place.

As Superman spun through the air he made certain to stop himself before he crashed into anything. He tried to find Zod again but the enemy was well hidden. Too late he heard another rush of air as Zod came up behind him and kicked him in the back, sending Superman flying once again.

Superman collided with a piece of machinery, breaking it off its hinges, but Superman was able to catch it before it landed on some workers, still rushing to get out. Superman got ready to gently put it down but then realized that this was when the other Kryptonian was likely to strike.

So when he heard air rushing Superman dropped the machine, turned around, and punched the other alien in the face, sending him crashing through the factory walls.

And he caught the machine again before it hit the floor, setting it down gently, before flying out of the building to pursue this other Kryptonian.

Zod, meanwhile, found himself pleased, even if he had been punched in the face. He slowed himself down and rubbed his jaw. The one Kryptonian who survived their planet's destruction outside the protection of the Phantom Zone was apparently resourceful. In a strange way, it gave him hope for their species. Of course, that symbol on his chest came from Jor-El's house. He wasn't certain how he felt about that.

He couldn't marvel at all of this for long, as Superman flew towards him yet again. Zod actually grinned. Knowing neither really intended to kill the other at this time, he figured he might just enjoy learning to use these new powers.

…

Lytener was informed that he had a phone call, and was escorted through the prison to a room with a single telephone on a table. Lytener sat down, picked up the receiver, and said, "Yes?"

"Mr. Lytener," said General Lane on the other end. "I think it's about time you reconsider my offer."

Lytener rolled his eyes saying, "Why would I do that?"

"You remember when an alien probe showed up?" asked the General, a smug undertone to his voice.

"Yes," said Lytener uncertainty, remembering quite well how the probe had attacked him and jammed a needle into his head. "Is...is there another alien here now?"

"That's right," said the General. "A few hours ago we detected a disturbance, like the once Superman stopped. Seems an alien got through this time, and he's fighting Superman as we speak. Interestingly his powers are pretty much exactly the same as Superman's."

Lytener could feel the blood leaving his cheeks as he realized what that meant.

…

Zod flew away again, trying to keep the blue and red Superhero off his back. Still using the aerial maneuvers he learned as a fighter pilot he was barely able to keep out of reach of the much faster Kryptonian as he bobbed and weaved through the air over the city. Clearly, the hit and run approach hadn't worked, so Zod knew he would need a new strategy.

And seeing how Superman had tread so lightly around those people in the factory, he knew what he had to do. Zod was a soldier and was prepared to accept collateral damage. This Superman, clearly, wasn't.

So Zod flew down, picked up a car, and threw it into a group of people.

Superman realized in horror what Zod was doing, flew over, picked up the car and placed it down. Soon, however, Zod was flying over and throwing cars in every direction. Superman flew to each of them and placed them down, but there were a lot of them, and Superman had to slow down or risk smashing the car against her ground and making a shockwave.

And it was while setting one of these cars down that Zod managed to fly in and land a punch, the impact of which reverberated through a quarter of the city, making people cover their ears.

Superman managed to stop himself in midair, but Zod was on him in seconds, throwing a barrage of lightning-fast punches at the hero. Superman tried to fight back, but he was still dazed from that last blow, and Zod was fighting furiously, using all his battle experience to predict his opponent's moves. This gave him just enough of an edge to close the gap between their power and speed. For a few minutes, Zod had the upper hand.

And after one particularly powerful punch, the shockwave heard for miles, Superman actually lost consciousness and fell. It wouldn't take him long to get up, but Zod figured he had just enough time to go after that scientist. It the information he had been given was correct, the scientist should be in…he looked around for a moment...That direction, which is where Zod flew, right as Superman landed on the ground, cracking the asphalt beneath him.

…

Lytener was in a panic. What if the Kryptonian came for him? What would he do? He couldn't defend himself from that, not without his technology. Actually, Lytener had been planning a way to get himself out of that prison if something went wrong, but he was nowhere near ready for that.

Suddenly, in the background of the phone, Lytener heard, "Sir, we just got a visual confirmation. Superman is down. Repeat, Superman is down."

"It...it's too late," said Lytener, terrified. "He's coming for me. Even if I do accept your help what can you do? He beat Superman!"

Suddenly the doors to that wing of the prison opened to reveal General Sam Lane with his cell phone, grinning confidently as Edward Lytener stared at him in astonishment. How had he gotten there so fast?

"I don't know," said the general, putting the phone away. "But I'm sure I'll think of something. You in or out?"

Lytener nodded, seeing no other choice.


	100. Chapter 100

Superman: The Ark of Krypton

Chapter 100

by

Jason Richard

Zod reached the prison quickly and used his X-Ray vision to scan for the scientist. He found him quickly, but there was someone else in there with him. He was armed with a primitive projectile weapon...as well as a few other things that this planet shouldn't have, all hidden on his person. Zod even recognized a few of them from skirmishes with enemy planets.

Where did this man get tech like that?

…

"You have alien technology?" asked Lytener in astonishment.

"We do," said General Lane, pulling out a small black box. "The Ark of Krypton isn't the only piece of alien technology that's fallen to Earth. There have been extraterrestrial crash landings on our planet as far back as the fifties. The CIA has been scavenging ships and technology from those landings for decades, and I happen to know a few CIA agents who owe me a couple of favors."

He put the box on the floor and suddenly the entire room filled with a strange energy. Within moments a translucent yellow dome of energy surrounded him and Lytener. General Lane also pulled out what looked like a gun, but when he undid the safety it made a whining noise, not unlike the lasers Lytener himself worked with.

"How effective will these things be against a Kryptonian?" asked Lytener, afraid of the answer.

"Honestly?" said the General. "I haven't the slightest idea. Don't worry though. I got here so fast because one piece of technology the CIA recovered is a teleporter. It will take about five minutes for them to get to us, but I think we can hold out until then."

Edward Lytener didn't like those odds.

…

Superman woke up in a daze. He'd never been hit that hard in his life. As he slowly stood up, trying to ignore the crowd of onlookers that was staring right at him, he figured he shouldn't be surprised that a Kryptonian could hit that hard. He also figured he shouldn't just be standing there.

He had to get to Lytener. Which direction was that prison in?

…

Zod crashed through the roof of the prison into the room with General Lane and Edward Lytener. He could see the yellow dome of energy that separated him from them, but that didn't worry him. He knew the limits of that technology, and that wouldn't be a problem for him.

Lytener, meanwhile, had been thinking of what he could do to survive, so he said, "Can you understand what we're saying?"

Zod said, in Kryptonian, that he hadn't been given a translator. Though Lytener didn't understand the words, he got the idea. For a second he wondered if Lobo had been given a translator or had just learned English at some point, but he quickly dismissed that curiosity. He had to find another way to communicate.

"Got any sort of holographic generator?" said Lytener. "I might be able to communicate with images. We know it's some other entity trying to release his people, and I think I can place some enmity between them."

Zod punched the shield, which shifted and shook the entire building but otherwise held.

"Divide and conquer?" said General Lane. "I'll try anything at this point."

As Zod punched again, and again, and again, General Lane tossed another device backward to the scientist, who started working on the strange device as fast as he could. He'd have to work quickly. Every time Zod punched the force field the light it produced got just a little bit dimmer.

Actually, Zod was surprised. Given his strength level he should have broken through that force field in one blow, and yet it was holding. Now that he thought about it, he might feel weaker than before. Being the first time he had used such strength it was hard to tell.

Little did he know that there was another probe in the room. Lex Luthor had predicted several locations an extraterrestrial enemy might appear, and Edward Lytener's cell was one of them. If it was a phantom zone escapee then it was undoubtedly a Kryptonian, so hidden in that room was a probe that could generate a red sun field. Luthor had even managed to learn more about the specific energy that fueled Kryptonians or took power away in the case of a red sun, and by cutting out other energy types he could generate a field that was invisible to the naked eye. It didn't even generate X-Rays, so not even Zod would see it.

And from his office, Lex Luthor watched the feed from his probe, pleased at the results.

Zod, meanwhile, assessed the situation as a soldier. They couldn't stay in there forever, but that type of shield could be bypassed by teleporter technology if one knew the shield's frequency. That had to be their plan. So Zod had to counter that.

To the surprise of the General and Edward Zod walked away, ripped off a piece of the wall, and then flew to other places in the room, ripping off various pieces of the wall. The only connected between these sections was that they had wires running through them. Then Zod starting reconnecting wires in each section, and within moments he was done. Zod was pleased with his work. It was a little trick he'd picked up for locking out teleporter tech. The room's electricity now flowed in a strategic manner that would prevent them from getting a lock.

While General Lane and Edward Lytener were confused, Lex Luthor realized what was going on and quickly typed at his computer, ordering the probe to attack. Within the prison cell, the probe whirred to life as a red sun laser powered on, but Zod heard the whirring and his soldier's instincts kicked in.

He sidestepped the laser and attacked with heat vision of his own, frying the probe as it sparked and fell to the ground. Luthor, from his office, banged on his desk in frustration.

Feeling the strength starting to return to him, Zod grinned and started punching the force field again, each blow shaking the entire room.

"If you've got a message for him," said General Lane. "I think we're going to need it. They should have teleported us away by now."

"Just a second…" began Lytener.

Suddenly the force field burst apart, leaving the two of them completely exposed.

"Lytener!" cried, General Lane.

And Lytener finally got the holographic box to work, and it held it up to display two images in the air. One was a faceless version of Superman standing tall and strong under a yellow sun. The other was a faceless version of Superman kneeling and weakened under a red sun. Lytener had basically told Zod how Kryptonian powers work.

General Lane couldn't believe he was seeing this. Had he just given vital information to the enemy? Just to save his own skin? That was how he intended to communicate?

That is exactly what Lytener had done, and the scientist breathed a sigh of relief as Zod stared at the images in wonder, then grinned, turned to the scientist, and bowed graciously. Lytener couldn't believe he'd made it through that alive.

"What have you done?" demanded someone.

Everyone looked over to see Superman in the room, hovering just below the hole in the roof Zod had made. There was a look of disbelief on his face.

"You told him how our powers work?" said Superman. "A criminal? Lytener, what have you done?!"


	101. Chapter 101

Superman: The Ark of Krypton

Chapter 101

by

Jason Richard

For a moment the room was completely still. Superman stared at Lytener in both horror and disappointment. Lytener scanned the room fearfully, wondering what would happen Next. General Lane stared at Lytener angrily, with his eye twitching in irritation, and Zod just grinned at the scientist as he stood from his bow. As far as he was concerned he'd gotten what he came for.

Zod turned and shot heat vision, blasting Superman away before flying in the other direction, crashing through one wall as Superman crashed through the other.

Superman, caught off guard once again by the Kryptonian criminal, scanned around with his X-Ray vision from the other room, but he was long gone. This criminal was learning fast. Just how was Superman going to track this person down?

Before he could sort it out, however, he got a message from Brainiac.

"When you have a moment, Kal-El," said the AI over those long-range sound waves he used. "The young Kryptonian girl has awakened, and she has information on our insurgent and those who released him."

Superman sighed and flew off, thinking that was probably the best news he was going to get.

Meanwhile, back inside the prison cell, General Lane grabbed Lytener's prison shirt and dragged him along.

"You're coming with me," the General growled.

"I haven't agreed to anything!" protested Lytener.

"You just lost your say in the matter," said the General as he passed through the hallways and ran into some prison guards. "I'm taking the scientist," the General said forcefully. "Any objections?"

The guards just shook their heads and let him pass.

…

Zod, quite pleased with himself, flew to a secluded location. No doubt the strange benefactors who had released him from the Phantom Zone would want an update on his progress. Out in the field, he found the probe, hidden in the trees, that would allow him to communicate to them.

He knew the upper hand was his now that he knew how Kryptonian power worked and they didn't. Now that he thought about it he could feel the energy flowing into him from an outside source, and could feel how to take more from the sun than before. Furthermore, he knew that the benefactors couldn't see much of Earth's surface at the moment. Something was jamming their signals, probably Jor-El's ship, so they didn't know the humans had figured out a way to drain Kryptonians of their power. This was also why they had to communicate through this probe, and why Zod knew they hadn't observed him get the full information.

So Zod had to come up with a lie. The Benefactors wanted this information so they could control the Kryptonians in the Phantom Zone. Zod had figured that out early on, but if he could spin this so that the benefactors believed themselves to be in control, then that could spin the status quo in his favor. So before he contacted them, he thought, he couldn't approach the probe until he thought of a suitable lie.

And it would have to be a good one, something that was hard to verify through science. He couldn't mention the red sun. They'd be able to study the difference between that and a yellow sun. However, if the information was about Kryptonian physiology itself that would be more difficult to confirm. They might insist on studying him, but for the moment he could, he would refuse to allow it. With patience, he could force them to release him and his men on his terms rather than theirs. Yes, this was the way to go.

He touched the probe and felt the transmission go through.

"I have discovered the rest of the Earth scientist's information," said Zod. "We get our power from solar energy, but too much can burn us out if we absorb it too quickly. That is our weakness."

"Very well," said the Benefactors on the other end. "Join us, and we can study you to determine your upper limits…"

"I think not," said Zod. "I am already trusting you not to use this information against us. I've kept my end of the bargain. I expect you to release us soon, as we agreed."

The Benefactors were silent for a moment, and he could just imagine them mulling it over, considering that they had no way to confirm his information without his cooperation, but the info was logical enough to accept. Would they insist on studying him, or go along with what Zod wanted?

For now, they would wait it seemed as they said, "We will send you back to the Phantom Zone and consider all our options.

Zod grinned, he was fine with that, and if the only emotion he'd feel in the Phantom Zone was the satisfaction he felt right at that moment, it would be a pretty enjoyable stay in that dimension. And as he disappeared in a flash of light, satisfaction was exactly what he felt.

…

Superman hadn't been able to find the Kryptonian criminal, so he flew to the Ark of Krypton. If the young Kryptonian girl could give them information that could help, even if it was small, he'd take it.

Also, now that the man wasn't in front of him and he wasn't trying to capture him, Superman realized he'd seen him before, probably in the video archives Brainiac had provided. This made him think that it wasn't just a random Kryptonian criminal. The man who had appeared was important, very important.

Superman flew over the frozen wasteland and towards his ship, covered in mounds of snow. He flew inside and through the corridors to the medical wing. There he found the Kryptonian girl, sitting at a screen and manipulating what looked like mathematical formulas. She noticed him enter then looked up, her face both curious and confused.

"Kal-El?" she said, Brainiac's systems translating the sound waves. "When I last saw my baby cousin he was so small I could hold him in my arms. Is that really you Kal-El?"


	102. Chapter 102

Superman: The Ark of Krypton

Chapter 102

by

Jason Richard

Was Superman really Kal-El? The girl had asked. Superman gave the only answer he could.

"Yes," said Superman. "So I've been told. I understand your name is Kara?"

"Kara Zor-El," said Kara, looking at Superman with a mixture of curiosity and confusion.

"You look just like him," said Kara. "Um...My uncle Jor-El that is."

"I figured that's what you meant," said Superman. He didn't really know what to say to this girl, but she had things to say to him apparently.

"So," she continued, speaking slowly and carefully. "The AI told me what happened. My pod got stuck in the space between the Phantom Zone and our dimension. I was in stasis for a while until someone tried to open the Phantom Zone and I slipped all the way in. Fortunately, I was able to make some dimensional shifters and close it...well...you were there for that part."

"Right," said Superman, feeling uncomfortable. There was something off about the way she was talking.

"Anyway," said, still slowly and cautiously. "I was put in a pod first, sent away as soon as possible. My parents said they were staying behind to look for others and…"

She choked for a second, trembling from whatever she was thinking.

"It all seems like it happened yesterday," said Kara, hugging herself as if from the cold. "The AI told me but...well...is it true? If anyone else had gotten stuck in the phantom zone I would have seen them when I finally got there. But it can't...I mean. Did no one else really make it? Is everyone really gone?"

Superman sighed. He should have known this would be what she wanted to talk about first. In truth, Kara knew on an intellectual level that what she feared had come to pass, but part of her wouldn't accept it until she heard it from this man...Kal-El. Superman, sadly, had to dash the last piece of hope she had.

"I saw some of Brainiac's footage," said Superman. "Krypton is gone, and so are it's people."

She looked down, and tears came to her eyes quickly.

"I knew it was true," she said, her entire body trembling from sadness. "I just...I just wished…"

And she began sobbing in earnest, burying her face in her hands. Superman walked over and hesitantly put his hand on her shoulder. She immediately leaned forward, wrapping her arms around him as she kept crying, and Superman put his arms around her compassionately. For a few moments, they stayed that way as Kara let all her emotions out.

After a few minutes, she pulled away, wiped the tears from her face and said, "I'm sorry, I just…"

"Don't apologize," said Superman. "I have no memory of Krypton myself, so I can't imagine what you must be feeling. If you want we can talk later…"

"No," said Kara, taking a deep breath. "The AI told me about Zod. I'll tell you just...just give me a moment."

After a few minutes of Kara taking deep breaths, she sat back down at the console and pressed a few buttons. Within moments images came up on the console of the man Superman had fought earlier."

"I thought he looked familiar," said Superman. "He was a general right?"

"Yes," said Kara. "Considered by many to be a hero. He and the men under his command were instrumental in fighting off enemy invasions. The Maltusins, the Daxamites, the Coluans...Krypton had its enemies, and he fended all of them off. However, when he learned that Uncle Jor-El had discovered the source of Kryptonians ancient power he became of obsessed with getting it. He made speeches to the public about it. Watch this."

She pressed another button which showed Zod making a speech to a large crowd of Kryptonians. One one side of him was a woman whose scowl could have been surgically made permanent she was so intense while on Zod's other side stood a large, heavily muscled man at least six feet tall.

"Fellow citizens of Krypton," said Zod. "We are beset with enemies. We are at peace now, but the many nations across the stars who would seek to take us, study us, and gain our power for their own. I say we find it first!"

Onscreen Kryptonians cheered and Zod continued.

"With this power, none will be able to challenge us!" said Zod, his voice booming. "Never again shall a child of Krypton die at war, never again will we have to bury our sons and daughters because another race meant us harm, and never again shall we feel pain and fear at the hands of our enemies! Once this power is ours again we shall be safe for all eternity!"

That got the biggest cheer yet as Kara paused the video feed.

"Later on," said. "The Kryptonian council opted against using that power, given the history of bloodshed our ancestors were known for. Many feared that such absolute power would corrupt us again, but Zod was furious with that line of thinking. He led an army to try and take over Krypton but was stopped. He and his men were banished to the Phantom Zone, where they live to this day."

"And now someone is helping them escape," said Superman. "Do you know who that is?"

"Not yet," said Kara. "I did manage to catch a signal from them while they were talking to Zod, but JLAI 13 hasn't finished decrypting it."

"We've been calling him Brainiac," said Superman.

"So he said," said Kara. "Seems kind of childish honestly."

"Well," said Superman. "Maybe, but the name just kind of stuck."

"Alright," said. "But I'm not calling him that." then she added, under her breath, probably not realizing Superman could hear her. "I'm doing away with childish things."

Somehow, Superman found that comment more ominous than anything else she had said.

"Well," said Kara. "Whoever Zod is working with I'm sure they can't be good news if they think they can control an army of people with powers like yours. It almost doesn't matter who they are. Zod will work with whoever can get him and his men out of the Phantom Zone."

"Alright," said Superman. "Thanks for telling me. I'm going to go over more footage of Zod, get to know who I'm up against. This planet is my home and I need to protect it."

"And I'll see if I can help JLAI 13 decrypt that transmission," said Kara. "Figure out who our other enemy is."

Superman nodded. "Thank you."

"No problem," said Kara. "Really I'm going to need home a new myself." She added Dryly. "I guess it might as well be this one."

As she turned back to the console to begin working Superman wondered about her. She seemed to be putting on a brave face, but he wondered what was going on behind that. Even so, he couldn't think about it for long.

They both had work to do.


	103. Chapter 103

Superman: The Ark of Krypton

Chapter 103

by

Jason Richard

Edward Lytener waited in a dark room with one door and no windows as a creaky fan swung above him, the light affixed to it illuminating that one spot where he sat. He'd been taken against his will by General lane and left there for a couple of hours. Surely this had to be illegal. Even if giving information to an enemy like that alien criminal could be considered treason against the human race.

He'd almost passed out when this occurred to him.

Could it be? Had he finally gone too far in his desperate bids to survive? He had given information that could doom the entire planet if these criminal Kryptonians learned to use their powers effectively? He'd done it. He'd really done it. He'd sold out the entire human race to save himself for...who knew how long at this point?

Finally, the steel door hidden in darkness opened and shut with an ominous noise. General Lane stepped into the light, and he scowled angrily.

He was clearly not a happy man.

"Sir…" Lytener began.

"Shut up!" cried General Lane, making Lytener wince. "I've just finished speaking with the heads of the FBI and the CIA, the president himself and several other departments that don't officially exist. I have full authority to hold you where I please. Illegal, perhaps, but considering what you've done people aren't so hesitant to make an exception. I've pulled every single solitary string I possess to make certain you belong to me, so don't even think about complaining."

Lytener put all such thoughts from his mind as he cowered back in his chair.

"But," said General Lane. "That's the bad news. Here's the good news. If you build weapons that can fight these aliens, and I know you can, we won't need Lex Luthor and you can win your freedom back. How's that sound?"

Lytener cleared his throat nervously and said, "That's very generous of you sir."

"And don't you forget it." General Lane replied.

…

There wasn't much footage of Zod in the Ark of Krypton's archives, but what was there was telling. Zod was friendly with his own soldiers and seemed well respected by his men. The most telling videos, however, were when Zod was trying to convince Jor-El to release the information about Kryptonian power.

And this was one such video.

Under the Kryptonian sun, it's red light giving the sky and orange hue, Zod led Jor-El to a field with statues, each with a uniform similar to Zod's. They were organized in a grid, each one evenly spaced from each other.

It took a moment for Superman, as he watched, to realize that this was a graveyard.

"Is this what you wanted to show me?" asked Jor-El, looking uncomfortable.

"Look around you Jor-El," said Zod. "These people made the ultimate sacrifice so that civilians could live in peace."

"I know. The Kryptonian people and I are ever grateful for that," said Jor-El.

"Look," said Zod. "This line was from my own squadron." as he looked at these statues with what seemed to be genuine sadness and nostalgia. "This was Mor-Ze. He was one of the best pilots I have had the pleasure of working with, and quite the sportsman too. Jer-Di. Sniper. He could shoot men without so much as breaking a sweat, and yet whenever we talked he always made me laugh. He could make anyone laugh. Nim-Oz. He…"

"I know what you are trying to do," said Jor-El, unable to look Zod in the eye. "You're trying to make me feel guilty."

"Yes," said Zod, looking straight at Jor-El. "I want you to know exactly how I feel every time I come home with fewer men under my command than I left with."

Jor-El looked away further, conflict written all over his face.

"Jor-El," Zod pleaded. "You know this power means that we don't have to lose any more of our kind to war."

"It also means we could take more of other in those same wars," said Jor-El. "You know our past. Our ancestors were tyrants, corrupted by their own power. I would not wish to see us become corrupted again. If...and only if...we decide to pursue this power again we need to be prepared for it."

"I understand that," said Zod. "And even agree. We can set an age limit, only allow those who are ready for the responsibility to use it. Make sure only those who obey the law use it. Such power can be used responsibly."

"But even if we came up with such a system," said Jor-El. "It is not a decision I have a right to make alone. I have instructions from the council…"

"The council?" asked Zod, his face sneering in disgust. "One of our enemies might try to attack us at any moment and we have to wait for the council to...?"

"I have instructions from the council," Jor-El continued irritably, "To wait for a vote. The Kryptonian people will decide as a whole whether or not we regain this power. If you want it so badly, then all you will have to do is convince people...with reason."

Zod smiled, seemingly pleased with this information. He nodded and gave a polite bow to the Kryptonian scientist.

"I don't think that will be difficult," said Zod. "This is what's best for Krypton. I have every faith that people will see that."

Zod turned and walked away with a confident smile on his face. Jor-El, on the other hand, looked rather uneasy.

"General Zod," said Jor-El. "You had some unkind words for the council. You wouldn't be thinking of moving against them, would you? That would be treason."

Zod stopped, waited for a moment, and said, "Not to worry. I wouldn't dream of committing treason."

And Zod continued to walk away, leaving Jor-El with a concerned look on his face.

Back in the Ark of Krypton Superman watched the entire scene, concerned. Clearly, Zod had been lying, as he had been put in the Phantom Zone for staging a coup d'etat.

Of course, that wasn't the biggest thing he took away from this. After watching that scene he felt that, even though he understood what motivated Zod just a little more, he was suddenly fearful that he understood his biological father Jor-El a little less.

"Brainiac," said Superman. "If my father had so many reasons for keeping this power out of people's hands, why did he send me to a planet where I would get such power?"

Rather out of character for the advanced AI Brainiac took a moment to answer.

"I don't think he was being pragmatic at the time," said Brainiac. "The planet was about to be destroyed and all your parents were thinking about was survival. Even when they couldn't save themselves they wanted to give their son the best chance at living they could."

Superman nodded. He'd seen the footage of that moment and it made sense. Still, he had questions. He, as Superman, used his powers for good, so maybe his father had been worried for nothing. On the other hand, Clark was just one person, who happened to be picked up by good people who taught him right from wrong. If he had landed somewhere else and been taken in by the wrong people, who knows how he might have turned out? And giving an entire planet that kind of power? It would have been certain that the wrong people would get it along with the right people.

With all that in might, Superman found himself asking what he would do if he could give the people of Earth the same kind of power he himself wielded, and he found he had no answer.

"Alright Brainiac," said Superman, putting those questions away for now. "Show me the next video. Show me Zod's coup"


	104. Chapter 104

Superman: The Ark of Krypton

Chapter 104

by

Jason Richard

Lex Luthor was officially in an arms race with Edward Lytener. He knew he wasn't liked and was technically a criminal in the eyes of many people. If Lytener managed to make weapons against the Kryptonian criminals more efficiently than Luthor then the billionaire would be forced to go into hiding again. Not that he couldn't do it, but he had a feeling he wouldn't be able to keep Lexcorp afloat this time. People were already saying he got pardoned too easily.

And So Lex Luthor worked in one of his laboratories alone. He usually deferred things to scientists under his pay, but this he decided to handle personally. He had to come up with a way to fight Kryptonians, something that Lytener wouldn't have. He still had a few mutated cells from the Parasite, the same cells that formed the base for Bizarro, to test red sun energy and other radiation on. If he could find a way to increase the red sun energy's effectiveness, that might do the trick. An instant power drain would be the most preferable option. If he could find an alternative to the red sun energy, he'd take it as well.

So he tested the cells against anything he could think of. Uranium. Plutonium. Anything even remotely radioactive. Light was related to radiation, so he figured that was where he should start.

And it was there that Mercy Graves found him, hunched over a lab desk with bags under his eyes from working several hours.

"Lex," said Mercy. "Take a break. You look terrible."

"I can't," said Luthor as he pressed a button at his computer and a machine combined two vials. "I have to keep working. You know what Lytener did don't you?"

"Yeah," said Mercy. "He gave the criminal Kryptonians the information they need to use their powers effectively, and now not even Superman will be able to protect us should they escape their prison. It doesn't matter. You'd not good to anyone exhausted. Even you will start making mistakes eventually. Look at you, you're just exposing the fake Kryptonian cells to random things seeing if it will get a reaction. You don't rely on such random methods."

The machine mixed another two items and Lex Luthor sighed, rubbing his temples.

"I know that," said Luthor. "For goodness sake, I know all of this. We just don't have time. We're backed into a corner...like we usually are lately."

"Oh come on," said Mercy. "Lex Luthor losing his nerve? It can't be as bad as all that, can it?"

"Haven't you noticed?" said Luthor irritably. "I've been kidnapped by a parasitic janitor, lost control of a child with godlike powers, lost control of the man who can counter Kryptonians, Lytener, and all my worst secrets have been brought into the limelight. Even if we somehow survive the Kryptonian invasion I'm still in a position to lose everything."

The machine mixed another two items and Mercy bit her lip. He had a valid point.

"It all changed when he arrived," said Luthor, laying back in his chair and staring at the ceiling. "I'd never been backed into a corner before him. I used to be in complete control, untouchable. Then this Superman drops out of the sky and I have godlike power set against me, and not just from him at this point. Mercy, what do you suggest we do?"

Mercy didn't have an answer for him. She couldn't see any way out of these problems either. After a moment of silence, however, an answer seemed to show itself as Luthor's machine beeped.

"What?" asked Luthor, looking at his computer screen and the device mixing chemicals together.

"What's going on?" asked Mercy. "Did the faux Kryptonian cells react to something?"

"Yes," said Luthor. "It looks like they have...wait. Mercy, do you remember that green rock we found, the one that could be a power source but proved to be too radioactive to be safe?"

"Yes," said Mercy, confused. "You destroyed most of it I believe, to show the public your commitment to safety. I know you kept some back in secret...are the cells reacting to that radiation?"

Lex Luthor grinned as he looked at the readings, "Oh Mercy, luck has smiled upon us. React, my dear, is too simple a word to describe what I'm seeing right now."

Mercy smiled back. Now this was the Lex Luthor she knew.

…

Superman watched another video from the Ark of Krypton, this time showing him Zod's coup d'etat. It showed the council room, a large hall with golden columns, as well as men and women at a long table wearing fine clothing. Suddenly the guards outside the room were blasted, falling down in pain as Zod, the big man, the fierce looking woman, and several rowdy soldiers marched into the room. One of the older Kryptonians at the council table stood up.

"What is the meaning of this?" the elder demanded. "This is treason against Krypton!"

"Not at all," said Zod. "I would never commit treason against Krypton. It is the council who has committed treason by spreading their lies to sway the people. It is they who have committed treason. I am simply enforcing justice."

"General Zod," said Jor-El at the table. "Is this about what I think it is?"

"Depends on what you're thinking," said Zod, regarding Jor-El disdainfully.

"The people voted, Zod," said Jor-El. "They don't want to be corrupted by our ancient power. I know you wish for it, but will you really resort to this violence against your own people because you haven't gotten your way?"'

"Things are changing in the universe," said Zod. "More threats to us are being discovered every day, and these beings have power such as ours. If we don't act now…"

"If you have new information then share it!" Jor-El almost screamed. "If there is such danger out there then we cannot afford to go to war with ourselves!"

"There is no time!" said Zod. "These enemies might attack us at any moment!"

Jor-El sighed, "General Zod, I believe your wish to protect Krypton is genuine. I'm sorry I have to do this."

Jor-El pressed a button on his console, and suddenly the guns each Kryptonian insurgent carried flashed with electricity, knocking each of the rebels out instantly, save Zod, who held on to consciousness long enough to look at Jor-El with a mixture of anger...and betrayal.

And Zod finally succumbed, leaving him and his men knocked out.

Back in the Ark of Krypton's control room, Superman watched the scene and didn't know what to make of it.

"Brainiac," said Superman. "How did Jor-El get all those weapons booby-trapped like that?"

"The Kryptonian science division designed all Kryptonian weapons," said Brainiac. "Apparently one of Zod's soldiers didn't agree with his commanding officer staging a coup, so he warned Jor-El ahead of time, allowing him to make sure the weapon's sent to Zod's men were compromised. Jor-El didn't want to believe it, but he prepared for it anyway."

"I see," said Superman. "What I don't understand is why Zod didn't seem angry at me when I fought him. He must have felt some enmity for Jor-El after this, but despite how much I look like my biological father Zod didn't react."

"That isn't surprising," said Brainiac. "Kryptonian soldiers are trained to suppress emotion when they're in battle. It's possible he did feel enmity but wasn't willing to show it."

"I don't know," said Superman. "There were a few times when he smiled at me as we fought. What do you think that means?"

"I cannot say Kal-El," said Brainiac. "I can tell you facts about what might affect Zod's psyche, but as an emotionless machine myself I am hardly qualified to give an analysis of his mental state. That is one department that was never given to artificial intelligence on Krypton."

Fair enough. Superman figured he'd just have to figure that out on his own. He had one more piece of footage he wanted to look to better understand his enemy. He wanted to see how Zod reacted to being put in the Phantom Zone.


	105. Chapter 105

Superman: The Ark of Krypton

Chapter 105

by

Jason Richard

Lois Lane drove up to the military installation's gate and waited. The guard at the gate stepped up to talk to her, but once they got close he turned and waved her through, the gate opening moments later. Guess being the daughter of a military general has its perks, Lois thought.

She drove inside, parked, and then stepped out. She knew she'd have to talk to her father, and that was a conversation she wasn't looking forward to. Then again her actual objective of talking to Edward Lytener after everything that had happened was bound to be an unpleasant talk as well, but there she was.

General Lane met Lois outside the main doors of the facility and heaved a sigh as she approached.

"Hello Lois," said General Lane. "I don't suppose you're here to talk with the old man?"

"I'm here to see Edward Lytener," said Lois.

"What? I don't even get a hello?" asked the General, who seemed genuinely hurt.

Lois sighed, and said, "Hello dad. Nice to see you. Can I talk with Edward now?"

It was General Lane's turn to sigh as he said, "Yes, I suppose you can, but on one condition. We have a talk with each other when you are finished."

Lois sighed and said, "Sure."

…

The door to Edward Lytener's cell opened and the scientist saw the last person he wanted to. Lois Lane entered the room, a grave look on her face. Lytener immediately grimaced at her.

"I didn't want to see you when I was in prison," said Lytener. "What makes you think I'd want to see you now?"

"Nothing," said Lois. "But what you want doesn't matter here, does it?"

"I've nothing to say to you," said Lytener, sitting back in his chair and crossing his arms as he looked away stubbornly.

"Alright," said Lois, sitting down across from him. "Then you can listen. You need to give the military your full cooperation and help them defeat these Kryptonians."

Lytener didn't say anything.

"Come on Edward," said Lois. "I thought that was why you were helping me expose Lexcorp in the first place because you wanted to do the right thing."

Lytener mumbled something.

"What?" asked Lois.

"I did want to do the right thing," Lytener said louder. "I thought I could do it without getting into caught."

"Well I'm sorry," said Lois, rolling her eyes. "I assumed you knew the risks."

"I knew most of them," said Lytener.

"What is that supposed to mean?" demanded Lois.

"It means I didn't expect my own partner in this to stab me in the back," said Lytener. "Before you published that hit piece on me without talking to me first I really thought you were a good person just trying to do the right thing. But you were just after your story, weren't you?"

Lois sighed, "Good grief Edward, don't you get it? That's why I was angry enough to publish that piece. Before I heard you sucking up to Lex Luthor with something that could help him defeat Superman I really thought you were a good person trying to do the right thing too, and as far as I could tell you'd proven me wrong."

Silence hung in the air for a moment as she let that sink in. Lytener, for his part, wasn't sure what to make of that. He thought about it for a moment, then found he had a question.

"What about now?" said Lytener.

Lois shook her head, hesitant to give the only answer she could, "Do you really need to ask?"

And it was then that what he'd done really began to get to him.

"I did it, didn't I?" said Lytener, tears forming in his eyes. "I sold out the human race...and not just now, with that Kryptonian. I practically did it with Luthor. I've given two evil men more power than they deserve just to save my own skin. What have I done?"

He seemed genuinely distraught, and Lois had no words of comfort for him. That wasn't really her strong point, so she said the only thing she could.

"You know what you've done," said Lois. "And I think you know what you should do now."

Lytener thought it over, then nodded, saying, "Yeah. I'll give General Lane my full cooperation."

Lois nodded back, smiling, "Glad to hear it."


	106. Chapter 106

Superman: The Ark of Krypton

Chapter 106

by

Jason Richard

Superman watched one final video from the Ark of Krypton's archives. This showed the day General Zod was sent to the Phantom Zone. Apparently, two of his generals had other duties that day. The fierce looking woman from before, Ursa, had been the one responsible for disabling the council's security technology, while Non, the big burly man, Had taken out a sizeable amount of Kryptonian guards by himself, creating a distraction. The two of them had cleared the way for Zod to make his entrance into the Council room, but all had been foiled by Jor-El.

On a Kryptonian rooftop the council members, flanked by Kryptonian soldiers, looked at the three ringleaders, each surrounded by their own personal force field. Jor-El stood in front of them looking grim. Zod looked at Jor-El with a quiet fury, Non pounded on his forcefield to no avail, and Ursa took deep breaths, a contented smile on her face.

"General Zod," said one of the council members. "You stand convicted of high treason against Krypton. Have you any final words before you are sent away?"

"Just one," said Zod spitefully. "When Krypton falls, when our enemies come for us with powers we cannot handle as we are, you'd best be prepared to grovel at my feet for deliverance, for I guarantee you I shall not be in a merciful mood when I escape."

The council looked at Zod gravely, then turned towards his second in command, Ursa. The woman just smiled.

"I say thank you," she said arrogantly. "The Phantom Zone's stasis makes you feel whatever you're feeling for an eternity. All I have to do is think happy thoughts and live forever in total bliss. I'm surprised more criminals don't try this. Can you imagine what happy thoughts I'm thinking right now?"

She had an absolutely wicked grin on her face as she looked around, and watching the video Superman decided he didn't want to know.

Finally, the council asked Non but got no answer. The large man kept pounding at his containment, but Superman realized it was out of fear every bit as much as it was out of anger. The more he watched him, the more this intimidating person seemed like a giant child. He said he'd kill them all, even as his eyes gave away his panic.

"And now," said the head council member. "Zod, Ursa, and Non, you are henceforth banished. May the weight of your crimes be upon your shoulders for all eternity."

So Zod Scowled, Non panicked, and Ursa smiled as a bright light descended upon the three of them and they disappeared from their imprisonments. The council, including Jor-El, bowed their heads in silence.

The video feed shut off and Superman stared at the blank screen, just taking in everything he'd seen.

"So Kal-El," said Brainiac. "Did you learn what you were hoping to?"

"I think so," said Superman. "General Zod really believes in what he's fighting for and will do whatever he thinks is necessary to achieve his goals. That makes him dangerous."

"How dangerous are you thinking sir?" asked Brainiac.

"Well," said Superman. "I can imagine someone like Lex Luthor turning from heinous goals if those goals are no longer personally profitable for him. A man like Zod, however, doesn't fight for profit, but because he thinks what he's doing is right. If we stop him this time or other times in the future, he's not going to give up. Even if we somehow make his goals hopeless, he's going to keep fighting, and that means he'll always be putting people in harm's way."

"What do you intend to do?" asked Brainiac.

Superman thought it over, rubbing his chin, and then said, "Is there a way to arrange for me to talk to him?"

"Perhaps," said Brainiac. "Whoever General Zod is working with is fraying the barrier between this dimension and the Phantom Zone. Just give me a moment to process the data...yes. It's possible. I should have enough power to send a communicator through.

Superman, "Then do that please."

…

Inside the Phantom Zone, and endless desert filled with red light, Zod strolled through, feeling better than he had in a long time. Ursa had been right. He should have thought happy thoughts the first time he was sent there. An eternity of feeling like this in the Phantom Zone's stasis would have been fantastic.

Soon Zod walked by a giant red crystal sticking out of the ground and he stopped. The crystal showed his reflection, revealing some gray hairs above his temples, grayness that hadn't been there before. The Phantom Zone halted his aging, but when he returned to his proper dimension it seemed his body had aged quickly, making up for lost time as it were. That would be a problem. Not all the Kryptonians would be able to leave without aging dramatically. The Kryptonian powers of a yellow sun would help most, but some might survive long enough for that power to kick in.

Still, Zod was optimistic. He'd release as many Kryptonians as he could.

Suddenly a light flared up to his left. He looked over and saw probe floating in the air. The probe, after a moment, projecting a hologram, showing the son of Jor-El, his arms crossed.

"General Zod," said Superman, the probe translating into Kryptonian. "I think we need to talk."

General Zod grinned, "I would appreciate that very much...Kal-El."


	107. Chapter 107

Superman: The Ark of Krypton

Chapter 107

by

Jason Richard

"So," said General Zod from within The Phantom Zone. "You're the son of Jor-El. The resemblance is striking."

"And you're General Zod," said Superman. "I know you intend to release the Kryptonian criminals into this dimension and unleash them on Earth. What will you do then?"

"Right to the point I see," said Zod. "That's kind of refreshing actually. The mysterious benefactors who are helping us escape tend to talk in riddles."

"You don't actually know who they are?" asked Superman, surprised.

"They won't tell us," said Zod. "But that doesn't matter. If they can get us out of here, then I don't care who they are."

"Fine," said Superman. "But you didn't answer my question. What are your intentions?"

"Get my people out of here," said Zod, shrugging. "Right now that is my only goal."

"You realize that most of the Kryptonians there are criminals," said Superman, concerned. "And when they get to Earth they'll have vast, godlike powers. Would you really unleash them on the innocent people here?"

"I will admit I've considered that," said Zod. "But most of the men here are loyal to me...at least the ones that can safely leave. Seems you start aging swiftly when you leave The Phantom Zone. My men and I will keep any genuine criminals under control."

"So you intend to live peacefully with the people of Earth?" asked Superman skeptically.

Zod chuckled, "Why do you sound like you don't trust me?"

"I've seen footage of you staging a coup," said Superman. "I'm concerned you might try to do the same thing here. Will you?"

Zod thought about it and said, "I suppose that depends on the Earthen people."

"You mean if you don't like how their running things you'll step in?" asked Superman crossly.

"Naturally," said Zod. "And I speak from experience. If Krypton had just done what I'd said and accepted their birthright, they'd be on a planet with a yellow sun, not red, and they'd be alive. I only wished to protect them from such a fate."

"That's not what I do," said Superman. "I use my power to protect people who cannot protect themselves, not subjugate them by force."

"Why Kal-El," said Zod. "I protect the defenseless as well, I just take things a step further, protecting people from themselves as much as an enemy."

"So long as they do everything you say and don't think for themselves?" accused Superman.

"Well," said Zod, shrugging. "When you're so much better at thinking than everyone else it's only natural. Again, I was right about Krypton. I may have been mistaken about the kind of threat that finished them off, but the fact remains. A threat ended them, and without natural powers, it would not have done so. Until I see evidence my way doesn't produce results I will continue to do things my way, and yes that includes subjugating people by force. But don't worry yourself about it. One my people are in charge are powers will serve to protect humanity as well..."

"Save it," said Superman, disgusted with this man. He then thought it over and took a deep breath. "Look. If this could be about letting your men out of that prison to live their lives in peace I think we could work something out. But if you have any intention of subjugating the people of Earth to tyranny, especially with the power of the sun at your disposal, then it will be my duty to stop you. You speak of protecting us from threats, but you're giving me very strong evidence that you are one such threat."

"An open challenge," said Zod, pleased. "I appreciate that, more than your father's treacherous scheming anyway. So be it. You have your convictions and I have mine. Time will tell whose convictions win the day. We shall meet again soon."

And Zod walked off. Brainiac turned off the pod, as it was obvious to anyone that the conversation was over.

"So now what Kal-El?" said Brainiac.

"I want you and Kara to keep working," said Superman. "Find out who these benefactors are and if there is a way to stop them from opening the Phantom Zone. I'm going to talk to Earth's governments to see what else we have to work with."

"Very good Kal-El," said Brainiac.

…

Within the Phantom Zone, everything bathed in red light, Zod strolled up to the mouth of a cave. Ursa, Zod's right hand, lay casually against the mouth of the cave smiling in contentment. Zod strolled up and nodded to her.

"How's Non doing," said Zod.

"Same as always," said Ursa, stretching her arms. "Whimpering and grunting. I told him he should calm down for when he went into The Phantom Zone, but he just kept panicking, and now he'll panic for eternity if we can't get out of here."

"Yes," said Zod, a big smile on his face. "I'll admit, you were right about that."

"I can tell," said Ursa, grinning at him. "You came back here with a much better attitude. It's written all over your face."

"Seems a shame we'll be leaving soon," said Zod. "But we cannot leave the others here."

"Especially Non," said Ursa.

At that exact moment, they could hear the monstrous man screaming in terror. The man had been hiding in that cave the entire time.

"Soon Ursa," said Zod. "Soon all our woes will be over." for most of us anyway, Zod thought, thinking of his new grey hairs.

"You might want to tell Non," said Ursa. "Though I don't know if it will help. Anyway, what about the Earth people?"

Zod grinned, "They will submit to the wisdom and protection of the new Kryptonian nation, or they will suffer the consequences."

Ursa smiled evilly and said, "Music to my ears Zod. Absolute music."


	108. Chapter 108

Superman: The Ark of Krypton

Chapter 108

by

Jason Richard

Kara sat hunched over the Kryptonian computer, typing at the alien controls furiously. She'd been working for a while, and yet didn't feel tired like she normally did. Actually, she felt good, better than she had in a long time. Of course, she realized why this was when a probe brought her something to drink. She crushed the cup and jumped as the contents spilled over the floor. She hadn't even been gripping it that hard, or so she thought. The truth was obvious.

"The ancient powers of Krypton," she said, staring at the crushed metal object in her hand. "I'm getting them aren't I?"

"Affirmative," said Brainiac around her. "The yellow sun of Earth is nourishing you as we speak."

"It didn't even take that long," said Kara, concerned. "That's going to be a problem. The Phantom Zone has thieves, smugglers, kidnappers and even murderers imprisoned there. They'll wreak havoc if they escape to this planet. And if those benefactors are who I think they are…"

"You have a suspicion?" asked Brainiac.

"Yeah," said Kara. "But I'd rather not say it out loud, at least not until I'm certain I'm right, and I pray I'm wrong. In the meantime…"

"Yes," said Brainiac. "I'm read your calculations and will confirm. The Phantom Zone will open again in seventy-two hours. I shall warn Kal-El immediately."

…

So Brainiac helped Superman set up a video conference with the world governments to discuss what was to be done about the Kryptonian threat. Superman stood in the Ark of Krypton's control room, facing a screen filled with many different faces from around the world.

"Ladies and Gentlemen," said Superman. "I won't sugarcoat this. We're about to face an army of beings who will soon achieve the same power as me. I'll hold them off for as long as long as I can, and we are working on closing the Phantom Zone, but we'll need all the firepower we can pull together if we are to get through this. General Lane, do you have any good news?"

"We're working on it," said the General. "Edward Lytener has begun cooperating in full. We'll not only have lasers that can sap the Kryptonian's power but force fields as well. His hard light hologram technology shows a lot of promise."

"Given this is a global emergency," said Superman. "Would you please forward whatever designs you come up with to other governments so they can begin construction of their own?"

"I've already started sending them out," said the General. "Given the circumstances, I can't see a better alternative."

"Thank you general," said Superman.

"You do realize You're asking me to give them the only weapon we have that can hurt you," asked General, impressed. "That's gotta take guts. When this is all over I'll buy you a beer."

Superman smiled and said, "I appreciate that."

And so the world leaders approved of this, thus the plans for the defense of Earth were put into motion.

…

Lex Luthor listened in on the conference from his office. He hadn't been officially invited, but to many politicians were too nervous about the coming threat to leave Luthor out of the conversation completely. Luthor knew he'd be hard-pressed to beat whatever Edward Lytener built, but he was confident he'd be able to come up with something.

He couldn't just use the green crystal as a power source for a laser or weapon. The discovery might be credited to him, but the technology wouldn't be difficult to recreate. He, of course, had all his resources on locating this green crystal wherever it could be found, but he'd need a different way to present it, something that only Lexcorp could do.

He had an idea, he'd just need to work on it.

The next moment Mercy Graves entered his office with some paperwork.

"We've tracked down every piece of that green crystal we could," said Mercy. "Hasn't been hard to convince people to give it up. We just had to inform them of the long-term dangers of its radiation and they set reasonable prices. That being said there isn't much of the stuff."

"That's good," said Luthor, smiling smugly. "Once the true value of the material is revealed then we'll own a monopoly on it and our shares will skyrocket. The future is in our hands Mercy. I can feel it."

"So what's the plan," said Mercy.

"Well," said Luthor. "We can't just reveal the rock like that. We need to present it in a very specific way. I say it's time to refine those cybernetic enhancements we've been working on."

"A cyborg powered by that crystal?" said Mercy. "Interesting, but people are still going to realize that those green rocks are what hurt Kryptonians. It still won't make it unique to you."

"In time perhaps," said Luthor. "But my dear first impressions are often everything. You should know. It was my first impression of you that landed you this job."

"I broke into your office and stole your files," said Mercy, teasing.

"Yes," said Luthor. "And in all the time you've worked here has anyone else ever managed such a feat?"

Mercy shook her head with a smile.

"Exactly," said Luthor. "But a first impression doesn't have to be correct to be useful. With a cyborg they won't see a robot defeating a Kryptonian, nor will they see a green rock. They will see an enhanced human being defeating a Kryptonian."

"I see what you're saying," said Mercy, impressed. "People will get the idea that humans could have that kind of power and want it for themselves."

"Exactly," said Luthor. "It won't technically be the same level of power, but so long as that's the impression this makes it will make Lexcorp indispensable to the world."

"What about other alien lifeforms with this kind of power?" asked Mercy. "You said yourself it doesn't grant power, it merely exploits a Kryptonian weakness. If that weakness isn't shared then such cyborgs won't protect us from them and the value of what you offer will plummet in people's eyes."

"You're absolutely right," said Luthor, nodding. "But we'll have to cross that bridge when we come to it. In the meantime, we need someone to be the first cyborg. Mercy, if you please, I think it's time to call up that reliable mercenary John Corbyn."

"I'll see to it immediately," said Mercy.


	109. Chapter 109

Superman: The Ark of Krypton

Chapter 109

by

Jason Richard

Three days later the place where the Phantom Zone would open was revealed. The entire world sent everything it had to the deserts of Australia. Lara, from the Ark of Krypton, worked with Brainiac to try and shut the Phantom Zone for good and Superman led an army of war machines to that desert. Every single war machine was essentially a robotic tank, each sent by one of the world governments.

Not one human being wanted to face Kryptonians in person, and Superman couldn't really blame them.

As he flew over these tank-like devices of various shapes and national colors he realized that he never imagined himself doing something like this. He wanted to help people, but he didn't feel like a soldier. Part of it just felt wrong, even though he was committed to keeping the Earth safe.

The good news was that the tanks were armed with red sun lasers to keep the Kryptonians from gaining their powers, or at least slow them, meaning Superman could keep them restrained without too much force. The bad news was that such lasers could hit him if he wasn't careful. Still, if Lara and Brainiac could find a way to close the Phantom Zone permanently then hopefully they could end this without anyone getting hurt.

Superman landed in the desert, twenty feet away from where the portal would open, hundreds of machines surrounding him.

And he waited.

…

Lois Lane flew in a helicopter, as close to the scene in Australia as the military would allow. As the helicopter blades spun above her, drowning out all sounds, Lois looked out at the desert and could just barely discern superman among the giant, silver devices all pointing to a single area.

Any moment now the portal would open and thousands of Kryptonian criminals would spill onto Earth. Lois couldn't deny that she was frightened of the possibility.

But if they lived through this, it would make one heck of a story.

…

General Zod waited at the appointed place, staring down a probe from their mysterious benefactors as Ursa, Non, and a thousand Kryptonians waited behind him. The benefactors would expect a full report of the Kryptonian powers before letting them out, but Zod was confident he'd come up with a convincing story that would shift the balance of power in his favor. If everything worked out his people would be free and wouldn't be beholden to anyone.

"General Zod," said the probe. "Our patience has run out. We do wish to help you out of your current predicament, but we must know how your powers work. If they work the wrong way it could interfere with the portal out of the Phantom Zone."

Liars, though Zod. They just want to control us. Still, have to give them something.

"Our powers come from sunlight," said Zod. "Though I don't know the science behind it we draw energy from solar radiation. A planet with a safe amount can provide us with the unimaginable power that you've seen from this Superman."

"Understood," said the probe. "Thank you. We will open the portal shortly."

A tunnel of light appeared and the ship flew into it before it disappeared. Zod was left grinning. By inserting "safe amount" into the conversation that implied that Kryptonian powers had an upper limit and that the Earthen countermeasures he'd heard about were about overloading the Kryptonians with energy. If these benefactors tried to control Zod and his people it would make them more powerful, as opposed to the red sun effect of making them less powerful.

Of course, it was a gamble. If there really was an upper limit to how much solar energy they could absorb then he might get them killed. Still, it was the only gamble available to him that let them out of that accursed place and not under someone else's control, so it was a risk he was willing to take.

Soon a light appeared in front of them. The portal had begun to open.

…

Not far in front of him, Superman saw the speck of red light. It was tiny at first, but it grew steadily larger and larger. Superman that it would soon be a portal to another dimension, and he readied himself to hold back the dangerous men it was set to unleash.

...

From within the helicopter, even as far away as she was, Lois could see the bright speck of light from where the portal began to open. The cameraman pointed his camera as Lois got out her microphone. Then the cameraman pointed the camera at her.

"This is Lois Lane," she said as loudly as possible over the helicopter blades. "Reporting to you live from Australia, and as you can see in the desert below the portal to this Phantom Zone is opening. The siege of Earth has officially begun."


	110. Chapter 110

Superman: The Ark of Krypton

Chapter 110

by

Jason Richard

Bigger and bigger the disk of light grew, until finally the center faded into the scene of an army and desert bathed in red light...or at least it was red light for the most part. The ground right in front of the opening portal turned a genuine sandy color, and that patch of color grew and grew. The red light in the Phantom Zone was giving way for the Earth's yellow sun, and as it kept going that Earthly sunlight bathed Zod, Ursa, and Non in it's powerful glow.

Zod felt that power and smiled, letting it fill him up. Ursa let that power in and basked in it. The best luxuries of Krypton were nothing compared to how this felt. Even Non, doing his best to hide the fear he had felt for so many years, felt that power and felt something change.

"Non," said Zod. "You've had the worst time out of all of us in this place. You go first."

Non didn't entirely understand what was going on, but ran forward as fast as he could, stepping through the portal. The moment he did the Phantom Zone wore off and Non's fear disappeared. Non felt better than he had in quite a long time.

And then Superman grabbed him and through him back into the portal.

Just before going back in Non felt anger, and as he landed he rolled back up and, screaming, ran for the portal again. Behind him Zod and Ursa smiled. This was closer to the Non they remembered, a proud, fierce warrior..

The army began running to follow Non into that new world, but before Non could reach the portal a wave of fire rose up in front of him as Superman's heat vision swept across the Phantom Zone's desert. All the army backed away, wary of the flames ahead.

"Patience men!" cried Zod. "Patience! You can feel it can't you?! The power coursing through us?! Soon we will have the power to plow through this army! Have patience!"

"I don't think so," said Superman as his eyes finished. "First wave, now!"

A few of the tanks shot their lights at the lowest setting, which merely bathed the Kryptonians at the edge of the portal in red light. Zod realized what was going on and grimaced as he felt the power begin to leave him.

"These humans are clever I see," said Zod. "At least the portal is growing. They won't be able to contain all of us for long."

And indeed the portal was getting bigger by the second. If it got big enough it was only a matter of time before this army of Kryptonian's couldn't be contained by the red sun weapons.

"Don't fret dear leader," said Ursa, grinning. "We wouldn't want this to be too easy. Where would be the honor in that?"

Non, meanwhile, just screamed at the wall of fire and the red light in a savage fury. He'd gotten out for just a second, and he wanted more.

The flames finally faded and Superman stood at the ready. Zod, however, was prepared this time.

"Squad Five," cried Zod. "Heat vision!"

About twenty Kryptonian men in the back shot heat vision at Superman at the same time, the red blast sending Superman flying away. Those Kryptonians lost their energy immediately, but Zod was betting that they'd gotten just enough energy for the rest to break through.

"Forward!" cried Zod as he ran forward, followed quickly by Ursa, Non, and the Kryptonians in the back.

They were stopped, however, by the tanks outside the Phantom Zone which shot red sun energy at them, blasting those in the front backwards and sapping their power. As the Kryptonians braced themselves against the force of the blasts some of them slowly moving backwards as their feet left lines in the sand while others fell over. Zod could practically feel what little power he had leaving as those blasts hit him. He gritted his teeth in frustration, trying to come up with his next move.

Out in space the benefactors that had opened this portal knew that the battle wasn't going well, so they decided to intervene. Moments later the same teleporter signature that these benefactors used appeared above them, dropping high powered laser rifles to most of the Kryptonian soldiers. Zod grabbed one out of the air as it fell and then ducked under the red sun laser fire, shooting a green blast through the portal and blowing up one of the robotic tanks with a single blast.

"I'm going to owe our benefactors much after this," said Zod with concern. He couldn't worry about his debt at that moment though, so with all his might he cried, "Fire with everything you have!"

Soon a barrage of green blasts came through the portal, blowing up tanks left as right, reducing the amount of red sun energy draining their powers. Zod waved his hand forward and the army slowly marched to the portal, which was now over twenty feet wide.

Superman, however, quickly flew back to the battle and shot more heat vision in a line, holding the army back. He then quickly flew back and forward, swatting green blasts away with his hand. When his hand struck one it looked like he was waving his hand through a green liquid that dispersed at his touch. Even Superman couldn't fly fast enough to stop all of the blasts, but he dramatically reduced the amount of tanks getting destroyed as he flew back and forth.

Even so, across that desert explosions kept going off, laser blasts went flying, and the portal just kept growing.

…

In one of Lexcorp's labs John Corbyn, a mercenary for hire, couldn't believe what Lex Luthor was telling him.

"Are you serious?" said Corbyn. "With the right cyborg upgrades even I could take on Superman?"

"Indeed," said Luthor with a smug grin. "You'll be able to demand even higher prices from your clients...barring myself of course. I'll expect a discount on all our future transactions."

"Mr. Luthor," said Corbyn excitedly. "You upgrade me with that kind of power and I'll do your jobs for free. Man, this is gonna be sweet! I assume since we met in your lab that we can start immediately?"

"Naturally," said Luthor.

And John Corbyn grinned.


	111. Chapter 111

Superman: The Ark of Krypton

Chapter 111

by

Jason Richard

The red sun tanks and Superman held the Kryptonians back, but just barely. Each red sun blast sending Kryptonians flying and kicking up sand when they landed. On top of them each time they got hit they lost a lot of yellow sun energy, making hard to power up. Meanwhile, they had trouble destroying more than one or two tanks with Superman intercepting most of their laser fire. If they could take care of Superman then they could start destroying the tanks, but they clearly didn't have enough firepower. That would have to change.

"Ursa," said Zod, firing even as a red sun blast held him back. "I have a mission for you. I want you to get to get out of that portal, go to a remote location, absorb as much power as you can, and then throw Superman into the red sun blasts from those tanks."

"Sounds lovely," said Ursa. "But how do you suggest I get past those tanks?"

"Like this," said Zod, before screaming as loud as possible. "Follow my lead!"

And Zod shot downwards, letting a hundred other Kryptonians do the same. The blasts kicked up a dust cloud that rose up several feet high. Ursa, in the cloud, managed to sneak out of the portal and park herself between the tanks where the red sun weapon's cameras couldn't see her. As he weaved her way through, keeping her head down to avoid detection, she let the yellow sun energy fill her up and bided her time.

Superman, when the dust cloud hit, was surprised by this change in tactic. He used X-Ray vision to see through it but had expected the entire army to do something. With his incredible eyesight and hearing focused on all of these other Kryptonians he missed Ursa and found himself wondering what that dust cloud had been for.

It was after a minute of knocking away more laser blasts that he noticed she was gone. That couldn't be good. He tried using x-ray vision on the rest of the battle but quickly discovered that most of the tanks were lined with lead. On the one hand, it made sense. The Kryptonians would eventually have x-ray vision, and they wouldn't want the enemy to know how those worked, but that still meant that Superman couldn't see through the tanks.

Giving Ursa plenty of places to hide from his gaze.

…

Kara typed faster than she'd ever typed before. Brainiac upgraded the system to try and keep up with her speed, but she still had to wait a moment as the Kryptonian systems caught up with her inputs. It helped that she was working fast. They were close to finding a way to close the Phantom Zone, but they couldn't stop there. They had to make sure it was locked and only they possessed the key.

"Come on Kal-El," Kara said to herself. "You just need to hold out for a little while longer."

"I have observed Kal-El for some time," said Brainiac. "Do you worry about him. He had a 93.33333% success rate in his missions, and the remaining 6.677777% only accounts for public property. Not one person has died under his watch."

Kara cracked a smile at that.

…

Superman flew down to one of the tanks and spoke to it. Each one of them had been outfitted with a communicator in case Superman needed to talk to the people controlling them remotely.

"I think there's a Kryptonian hiding out here in the tanks," said Superman. "But with the lead in these things, I can't be sure. Keep an eye out!"

"Understood," said General Lane through the speaker as Superman flew back off.

Ursa, meanwhile, had hidden under a tank and would fly between then when she felt she could do so undetected. It was tempting to stay still and just let that energy fill her up. Even the good mood she's had perpetually in the Phantom Zone was nothing compared to the energy filling her up now. Still, she couldn't just let her comrades down, so she flew from tank to tank when the cameras weren't looking and made her way to the back of the line.

Soon she'd have enough energy to counterattack with the tanks focused on the army. It wouldn't be long now.

…

"I think that does it," said Kara, looking over the data one more time. "Yes, that should do it."

The result of Kara and Brainiac's work was designed for a device that could close the Phantom Zone and keep it closed. They'd have to get close to the portal that was open now, but it would work.

"It was good work," said Brainiac. "I have trouble understanding how you managed to come up with this solution. My calculations, running through every possible energy transference, would have taken twenty-two years, three months, fifteen days, nineteen hours, four minutes and three seconds to come up with this solution."

"It wasn't that much," said Kara. "I just had to get creative."

"Creativity?" inquired Brainiac. "This is a concept I've never fully understood."

"I guess you wouldn't," Kara shrugged. "Anyway, how long will it take to build."

"About thirty minutes," said Brainiac. "Kal-El will have to hold out on his own."

Kara heard that then looked at her hands, her X-Ray vision showing the bones underneath. Maybe her cousin wouldn't have to fight alone after all. Brainiac, meanwhile, thought a few things over as well, his processors hanging for an oddly long about of time on the word, 'creativity.'

…

Lex Luthor watched from behind the bulletproof glass as hundreds of slender robot tendrils ran the operation on John Corbyn, turning him into the ultimate cyborg warrior. Luthor could see the Kryptonite already powering the machines embedded in Corbyn's flesh. He smiled evilly. It wouldn't be long now.

…

As Ursa snuck from tank to tank she felt like she went just a little faster each time. Soon she was going so fast she felt she could pass in front of the many cameras the tanks were armed with and wouldn't be noticed. She didn't press her luck, though, and stayed careful.

That is until she reached the end of the line, then she ran at full speed, a line of dust forming behind her. She thought she was home free. She could find a place to hide, gain full power, then blast a line for the rest of the Kryptonians to break through.

Unfortunately for her she hadn't quite mastered her new powers and didn't notice someone else spot her. That was Lois Lane, who watched from a distance high up in a helicopter. Superman may have been distracted by a variety of sounds and sights, but Lois just happened to be in the right position to spot Ursa speeding away.

And she knew she had to tell someone about this.


	112. Chapter 112

Superman: The Ark of Krypton

Chapter 112

by

Jason Richard

Edward Lytener sat at his desk, working on a similar suit to the one he'd built for fighting Superman. The tanks he'd designed weren't as powerful but were simple enough to mass produce. Something like this suit, which could project powerful holograms and force fields, this would take time and care.

He just hoped to finish before the battle.

Speaking of which he looked over at the television in his little stone-walled cell and saw Lois Lane reporting on that battle, which seemed to be going well. General Lane wasn't even bringing out the tanks with force fields yet. If he was still holding those back then they weren't in trouble yet.

And of course, Lytener saw Lois Lane on the screen. He regretted his actions, though some part of him still resented her for hanging him out to dry without giving him a chance to explain himself. Then again, Lytener hoped to start being the kind of person who stood up to dangerous people rather than backing down. The truth was, however, he wasn't sure he could do that. Not in person at least.

Suddenly someone knocked on his door, "Lytener," said one of the soldiers. "Looks like a lone Kryptonian made it out of the Phantom Zone. If it powers up we're going to need that suit of yours."

"Working on it," said Lytener. "Shouldn't be too much longer."

As the soldier left Lytner, for just one moment, considered donning the suit and going after this Kryptonian himself.

The very thought made him tremble with fear. He gritted his teeth, absolutely frustrated with himself.

…

Lois, high up in the helicopter, stayed thankful that the call had gotten through to her father's base as she put her cell phone away. There was no telling what that escaped Kryptonian would do once it got enough power. She just hoped her father had a way to find and stop it.

In the meantime, the battle here at the portal was going well, with Superman able to protect the tanks and the tanks held the enemy back. Unfortunately, the portal was still getting wider, and the tanks were getting more and more spread out. Even Superman had to fly longer and longer distances to deflect the fire from those laser rifles.

Before long this portal wouldn't be a chokehold, and the more spread out the tanks were the less of an advantage they had. With all the lasers focused on the same spot, they were guaranteed to hit something. Spread out they might start missing, and that could be trouble.

Even as watched from the Helicopter, reporting on the scene, she wished there was more she could actually do to help, but nothing came to her.

…

More and more tanks began to explode. The portal was now massively wide and even Superman couldn't fly back and forth fast enough to stop all the Kryptonians rifle blasts. He began to feel that a change in strategy was called for.

Apparently, however, the generals of the world felt the same, as tanks moved away from others that took their place at the front line. These tanks lined up and threw up red walls of light that began blocking the laser blasts. The long line of force field that spanned the entire line of the portal didn't let other tanks fire, but it would stop the Kryptonians from advancing.

The Kryptonians, however, spread out as they were, weren't getting hit by as many red sun blasts, so they had more energy than before. Zod gave the order.

"First company!" he cried. "Jump!"

Kryptonians jumped up impressively high, shooting over the force field. That left them open to laser blasts, but they did manage to take a couple of tanks down before they were blasted back. And, of course, the moment they landed, they got up and jumped again. Superman, surveying the scene, flew in, throwing as many of the Kryptonians back down as he could, preventing them from shooting. As they were much slower than the blasts themselves he was able to get most of them.

And thus they continued to hold the line.

...

Running as fast as she could Ursa found an alcove in a rocky plateau and hid there. It had just enough sun so that she could keep absorbing energy, but enough cover so that she wouldn't be visible. She went to the center and sat down cross-legged on the ground.

As she closed her eyes and let that power wash over her she grinned. Kal-El wouldn't know what hit him.


	113. Chapter 113

Superman: The Ark of Krypton

Chapter 113

by

Jason Richard

John Corbyn, in a hospital gown, looked at his hands and wiggled his fingers. He wore a disappointed look on his face that made Lex Luthor frown. The bald Tycoon crossed his arms and gave Corbyn a look that could have frightened an alligator.

"Is something wrong?" asked Luthor.

"Everything feels weird," said Corbyn. "Whatever I touch feels...different...wrong...like going from sugary soda to diet soda. It all just feels off."

"That would be the synthetic skin," said Luthor. "We tried to make it feel like real skin, but I suppose we aren't quite there yet. Oh well. If that feels weird, tell me how this feels."

And Luthor walked over to a table, picking up a bar made of pure titanium, the length of a man's arm. The brilliant Lex Luthor had trouble holding it up, but when Corbyn took it he didn't stagger at all. The mercenary held the bar in his hands and bent it, the metal creaking as it gave with hardly any resistance at all from Corbyn's perspective. When he held a loop of metal rather than a bar, he grinned.

"I think I can get used to the weirdness," said Corbyn.

Luthor grinned back and said, "Glad to hear it."

…

It wasn't quite finished as far as Lytener was concerned, but to give it every single alteration he had intended would take another day. This was at least as good as the first suit, so that would have to do.

He walked over and knocked on the door of the cell to tell someone.

…

"It's ready," said Brainiac over a readout of a device that resembled a laser rifle. "Point this at the portal and it should close up. I'll send as many probes as possible to protect it."

"Sure," said Kara, standing up. "And escort me. I'll take it there myself."

"As you wish," said Brainiac. "I'd recommend caution if you intend to use your newfound powers to fight. You are inexperienced with them, and if you try to do too much you could drain them faster than you intend."

"I'll be fine," said Kara.

…

Ursa stood, feeling as if she had as much power as she could afford to wait for. She cracked her knuckles and her neck and planned her next move. Looking around she used her X-Ray vision and hearing to spot the battle, and saw Superman throwing her people back through the now gigantic portal. Seeing it from afar gave her a new perspective.

Normally she'd consider beings using robots to fight their battles, rather than doing their own fighting, nothing more than cowards, but she supposed she couldn't blame these humans in this case. How else would they fight beings like her? She could feel the power coursing through her. Were she in their position, she'd want to hide behind automatons as well.

Of course, none of this thinking would stop her and Zod from taking control of this world as a new Krypton. The humans may resist now, but one day they'd appreciate Kryptonian control.

She honed in on Superman, planned her line of attack, and sped off. She flew faster and faster, a vacuum of air forming behind her. She could feel the sonic barrier forming in front of her, and knew she couldn't go much faster than that. If she did, she'd alert her enemy, even with all the sounds of battle distracting him.

So instead of trying to hit him too fast for him to react, she flew as high as she could, watching the world get farther and farther away. Soon the sky gave way to black and stars, the earth so far away. Ursa looked down from on high and took a moment to take in all it.

If she had needed to breathe, her breath would have been taken away.

The moment passed, and she flew back down, the Earth now getting closer and closer. With her powerful vision, she could see the battle down below. Once again she could feel the air around her twist as she flew down, her entire body engulfed in flames as she passed back into the atmosphere.

Down and down she went, zeroing in on Superman. In less than a minute she had flown down and had her fist pulled back, ready to hit Superman where it hurt.

And Superman looked up at the last moment as if he'd been expecting her. In fact, Superman had realized that she'd disappeared and had been waiting for her to make a move.

Ursa, surprised, knew she couldn't hesitate now and threw her punch at his left cheek. Superman blocked, the impact thundering across the battlefield. After all the power Ursa had absorbed she still didn't have enough to overpower someone who'd lived in this sunlight his entire life. Ursa's eyes grew wide as the truth of that dawned on her.

Superman then flew higher than her and pulled his own fist back, intending to launch her back through the portal. Ursa, on a reflex, used a move designed specifically to use an opponent's force against them. For a second, she realized she had no idea if it would work while she was flying and fighting at this strength level.

She grabbed his wrist and twisted her entire body, synchronizing her movements with his, and pulling him forward. Superman found his own momentum swinging him down and towards the battle below.

And right into the red sun laser blasts.

He must have hit seven of them on the way down as he landed, making a crater as he did. The whole exchange took just a few seconds, but suddenly the Kryptonian forces weren't being thrown backward anymore, and as they jumped up they found they could destroy more tanks. As Zod noticed Ursa's success, he waved his men forward.

"Advance men!" he cried. "Hit them with every single ounce of power you have!"


	114. Chapter 114

Superman: The Ark of Krypton  
Chapter 114

by

Jason Richard

"It's very simple," said Lytener testily as they flew in a military chopper. "It's a neural interface. Just think what you want to happen, and it will happen. We've already gone over the abilities of that suit."

"I'm trying," said the soldier wearing Lytener's suit. "It's not working. Why couldn't this technology have been put into a tank?"

"I couldn't make a program complicated enough to control some of these functions," said Lytener, growing impatient. "A neural interface was the only system I could come up with."

Lytener's readings were all wrong as well. The suit should be working, but it couldn't translate this soldier's brain waves. It didn't make sense. Apart from a few upgrades, it was virtually identical to his last suit, and that had worked flawlessly.

And that suit had been allocated to his brain waves...specifically Edward Lytener's brainwaves.

It hit him like a punch to the gut. His last suit had been calibrated to his brain and no one else's. He hadn't bothered to test it with anyone else because he hadn't intended anyone else to wear it. If he'd wanted someone else to wear this new suit, of course, the neural interface would have needed slight adjustments in its creation. After all the calibrations he had gone over, hours and hours spent going over the design, how could he have overlooked such a simple thing?

And the worst part of it all? He didn't have time to readjust it now. If he wanted the suit to help, he'd had to do the unthinkable. He'd have to wear it himself.

And fight the Kryptonian army personally.

...

The last time Kara had flown in one of these pods her entire planet had exploded behind her. It wasn't a pleasant memory, but she stifled her emotions as she held the rifle like device. All she had to do was close the portal before the Kryptonian criminals. She had her new powers, and this pod had Kryptonian probes to protect it, each of them controlled by JLAI 13 (she still refused to call it Brainiac) but despite telling herself these things she couldn't help but feel a little nervous. She'd already closed the portal once.

And General Zod would be expecting her this time.

...

John Corbyn still couldn't get used to how this mechanical body felt. He knew the synthetic skin was replaceable, and would inevitably need to be, given the kind of fights he'd be getting into, but everything still felt off. As he sat in this first-class jet drinking the wine Lex Luthor so generously provided it still tasted like some sort of diet wine to him.

Also, he apparently couldn't get drunk anymore. He wasn't sure how he felt about that.

Hopefully showing some superpowered aliens who was boss would make him feel better. Probably. He was feeling better just thinking about it.

...

The red blasts left him in a daze for a moment. As Superman stood up, sand falling from his clothes, he saw the Kryptonians gaining ground, jumping over the red shields to hit the banks behind them. He was about to fly to help but had to turn around when he heard Ursa flying at him at full speed.

He punched back, their fists colliding, the shockwave kicking up sand around them and making Ursa wince. The gap between their power had closed a little, but Superman wasn't quite to her level yet.

She'd have to fix that.

Superman threw out a barrage of punches, which Ursa dodged. Though Superman was still faster, Ursa's military training gave her something that Superman had never needed. Immaculate precision. Ursa could move only as much as necessary to get out of the way of each punch, allowing her to shift into her next movement immediately. Superman, however, tended to overshoot his punches and was unable to correct his momentum to change his fists direction, meaning the punch kept a split second after Superman needed to pull it back.

While a fraction of a second of lost time didn't seem like much most of the time, when one was battling at those speeds even a microsecond was everything, and Ursa was just barely able to keep from getting hit as she bobbed and weaved around Superman's blows gracefully.

And when an opening finally appeared, she took it, punching Superman in the face with a thunderous crack and sending him flying backward over the Sand. Superman, stopping his momentum and rubbing his sore face, knew he couldn't deal with the other Kryptonians with this one on his back, so he attacked again, but with different tactics.

He once again launched a barrage of punches, which she danced around as they flew in the air, but Superman shot a blast of heat vision at her eyes, blinding her for a second, before punching her with so much force she fell to the sand and left a crater.

Ursa recovered quickly and flew up, but Superman launched another barrage of punches before blasting her heat vision again. Ursa blocked it with her arm and prepared to block another punch, but Superman threw a kick to her gut instead, sending her flying once more.

When Ursa flew back up this time, she started shooting heat vision of her own. Superman dodged, but Ursa knew how to hit a moving target, and Superman got struck and thrown backward more than he would have liked. Even so, Superman wanted her to use heat vision. When he'd first started using that power, the beams were ragged and wild, which wasted more energy than necessary. Ursa's blasts were like that, a stark contrast to the straight, precise heat blasts Superman had spent years honing.

If Ursa kept shooting heat vision like that, she'd drain herself too fast to keep up, and sure enough, Ursa found herself falling for just a second.

It was all Superman needed. He hit her with one more blow, sending her sliding through the sands. This time she clutched her stomach in pain, unable to stand. Superman winced, thinking that he might have taken this too far. Even so, he was prepared to throw her back towards the portal and start keeping the rest of the Kryptonians out as well.

But before he got within ten feet of Ursa, something came flying out of nowhere, knocking Superman through the sky.

Superman recovered and turned around in the air to see the last thing he wanted to. Zod and Non were flying as well, Zod being the one who had punched him from the side. The Kryptonian general grinned, loving every ounce of the power he'd managed to absorb, while Non just grunted, happy for a fight.

Even Ursa flew up to join them, making this three on one while the Kryptonian army started to edge their way out of the portal and push the red sun tanks back. Superman realized that the odds were turning out of his favor, and he didn't know how to turn them back.


	115. Chapter 115

Superman: The Ark of Krypton

Chapter 115

by

Jason Richard

Superman found himself fighting three other Kryptonians. Ursa was the closest to Superman's level, having absorbed the most energy, but Zod and Non were happy to get punches in whenever they saw an opening. To anyone watching on the red sun tank's monitors the fight between these four Kryptonians was a blur of motion. Only in split seconds at a time were any of them visible. The sand blew away each time fists collided with faces in the air, and the wind blew around them as they flew around, Superman trying his best to take them down fast.

The red sun tanks, meanwhile, got pushed back as the Kryptonian criminals kept jumping up and shooting over the force field wall. Fire and metal flew through the air each time a green bolt of energy connected, and all the while the red sun energy didn't seem to hurt the Kryptonian soldiers much. They got thrown back to the sands and got right back up again.

Superman was aware of this, even as he was aware that the punches from his Kryptonian enemies were actually starting to hurt. Superman got a few hits in, but it was three on one, meaning Superman got punched and sent flying back more often than he'd ever been in his life.

After one particularly nasty blow, Superman landed in the sands, dust flying everywhere as he landed, Zod landed next to him as he struggled to get up. "You've fought bravely," said Zod. "But a wise soldier knows when it is time to surrender."

Superman finished standing up and raised his fists, saying, "You stand to take control over this world, my home, everything I love. That's not the time to surrender."

Zod nodded, finding that he respected Kal-El's resolve. That did make what he felt he needed to do a little harder. Once again the three Kryptonians attacked, and Superman did his best to hold his own.

…

From the helicopter Lytener wore the suit he'd invented, his entire body trembling with fear. He got ready to fly out, which meant trying to stifle the trembling coursing throughout his entire body. He had begun asking himself why he was even doing this. He knew the answer was that it was the right thing to do, and yet he kept asking himself that question all the same.

…

From within the pod, Kara saw the portal and was overwhelmed with how gigantic it was. JLAI 13 had assured her that the device she carried would shut that portal, and given the calculations, she knew it was true, but seeing such a large phenomenon gave her doubts.

On top of that, she could see much of the invading Kryptonian army outside the boundaries of the portal. Kara feared that it might be too late to shut the door.

...

"You want me to what?" asked John Corbyn to his cell. He had just gotten off his plane and was now traveling by jeep to the battle site. The vehicle shook and tumbled as it traveled over the gravel road.

"When you get to the battlefield," said Luthor on the other end of the phone. "I want you to hold back. Identify the leader, then strike when you get an opening. Do nothing else until that opportunity arises."

"You mean I won't get to slay Kryptonian's left and right?" asked Corbyn, irritated.

"Believe me Mr. Corbyn," said Luthor. "I would love nothing more than for you to let loose with the gift I've given you, but the technology inside your body is still untested. As confident as I am in it an entire army is not a good testing ground. Besides, Superman is technically our ally in this. Now would not be the right time for any...accidents with him. At least...not until our common enemy is vanquished."

Corbyn sighed saying, "Understood." and he hung up.

…

Superman crashed to the ground, and again, and again as the three Kryptonians attacked him relentlessly. Having to fight three Kryptonians at once forced Superman to use more energy than he really had. Zod, Ursa, and Non, meanwhile, could stand back and let each other fight for a moment while they replenished energy. A few tanks threw red sun blasts their way, but it was no trouble for them to dodge and shoot the tanks in question with heat vision.

Superman, as he was being knocked around, felt dizzy and sore all over. He didn't realize it, but he was covered in bruises, lacking the energy to both heal and fight.

Superman stood up once more as the three Kryptonian soldiers flew above him grinning maliciously. Superman took deep breaths as he looked over, seeing the Kryptonian army slowly pushing the tanks back.

"One last chance to surrender?" said Zod. "Even after what your father did I still respected him, and you've earned my respect as well. I'd hate to see a fellow Kryptonian fall."

Even though he was tired, sore, and in pain all over, Superman put his fists up.

"Very well," said Zod, nodding respectfully.

All three of the Kryptonians charged, Superman winched…

And all three of them were thrown away by a massive blast of red light.

As the three Kryptonian soldiers were left dazed on the sand Superman looked over to see Edward Lytener flying next to them wearing his holographic suit and holding a glowing red hand up. He had an absolutely horrified look on his face, but he took a deep breath and steadied himself.

Well, thought Lytener, there's no turning back now.


	116. Chapter 116

Superman: The Ark of Krypton

Chapter 116

by

Jason Richard

From the pod, Kara saw the newcomer helping Kal-El with the three enemy Kryptonians in charge. That was good. If they could keep those three busy then she could close the portal. The problem was that she needed a way to get the Kryptonian army back through that portal.

"Any ideas?" she asked the AI known as Brainiac.

"Perhaps," said Brainiac. "I've been scanning the battlefield, and the holographic technology carried by that one helping Kal-El would be best suited for pushing the army back through the portal. He could make a force field large enough to do the job."

"But he's distracted," said Kara, thinking deeply. "I've got a full reserve of solar energy. Could I hold those three back?"

"Calculating," said Brainiac. "Zod, Ursa, and Non still have the advantage of numbers and experience. One of them could slip through if you try to restrain them physically."

"What if I used my lungs?" said Kara. "Blow them back with a gale force? Come to think of it, I could send the army through and let Kal-El and the other man hold back the other three."

Brainiac took a moment to run some calculations.

"You'd need to breath in a lot of air to do that all at once," said Brainiac. "You should be able to compress that air so it will fit in your stomach, but it will take five minutes to breathe the necessary amount in. The army is not entirely out of energy, despite the human's red sun tanks."

"Then I'd better get started," said Kara.

The hatch above her opened and Kara took the deepest breath she'd ever taken in her life.

…

Right before Zod, Ursa and Non got up, Lytener flew over to Superman.

"Here," he said, raising his hand. "I added another function to the suit for this."

A yellow light came from Lytener's palm and within it Superman felt energized. All the power he had lost came back faster than he thought possible, and the bruises on his body disappeared into his skin.

"Thank you," said Superman.

"Don't mention it," said Lytener, feeling less afraid that before. Lytener then flew back a bit and activated a spherical force field around himself.

Just in time too. The three Kryptonians flew at lightning speed around the force field hammering it with punches. A moment later and those punches would have hit Lytener directly.

Superman flew in and started counterattacking. In a moment Lytener was surrounded by a blur of people flying around and hitting each other with thunderous impacts. He had the vague sense of a flying three on one fist fight, but he couldn't tell one blur from another. He could let out a blast of red sun energy in all directions, but he didn't want to hit Superman.

Fortunately, General Lane had given Lytener a piece of Luthor tech. A holographic display appeared in front of his face and he aimed a red sun blast at various crosshairs. By matching the frequency of the blast to the force field around him he could shoot through it, and once the crosshair blinked he'd fire. The computers would do the aiming, and sure enough, Lytener fired a blast and send Non flying.

With Lytener distracting the three from the safety of his force field Superman's recharged speed and strength meant that they had the upper hand, and it was the three soldier's turn to get knocked around. They could do it. They might have a chance.

Now they just needed a way to deal with that army.

…

After a few minutes of the wind itself pouring into her lungs, Kara closed her mouth. She could feel the intense pressure of an insane amount of compressed air stretching the inside of her lungs. It was amazing that her chest didn't burst from within.

"Well done miss," said Brainiac. "My pods will try to watch your back, but Kal-El and Edward Lytener cannot hold Zod and his lieutenants back you'll be left vulnerable while you do this."

Grasping the dimensional modulator, the rifle-like device in her arms, Kara steeled herself. It was a risk she'd just have to take.

…

Superman kept battling the Kryptonians head-on in a flurry of punches and kicks faster than the eye could track. Lytener, from his force field, kept shooting at the targets his suit's computer call out, all from the safety of a red force shield. In this way, Superman and Lytener were able to hold their own in a fairly even battle.

A few punches hit Lytener's force field, and the integrity of that field began going down, and wouldn't hold up against repeated blows. Superman was also getting just as tired as the three Kryptonian soldiers. For his part, Superman had never taken this much of a beating before, not even from Lobo. By this point, it all depended on who ran out of energy first, and it wasn't clear who that would be.

Kara flew above the battlefield, still holding an impossible breath in her lungs. She hovered on the end of the portal farthest away from Superman's battle and got ready. Despite the overwhelming power she felt coursing through her, she felt a little nervous.

But that didn't stop her from doing what needed to be done.

She flew down, opened her mouth, and unleashed the pressure from her lungs. A massive blast of wind hit the sand and send Kryptonians flying backward as Kara passed over them. A cloud of dust exploded over the desert as Kara, in mere moments, flew past the massive portal and blew the Kryptonian criminals back from whence they came.

And the moment she was done she aimed the dimensional modulator and shot a long beam at it, make it close rapidly. The army of tanks, meanwhile, got the opportunity to put the red sun wall right next to the portal as the Kryptonian invaders lay on the ground, dazed.

Zod, in his zeal to defeat Superman and Lytener, didn't realize what had happened until it was too late. Once he did he cried, "With me!" and flew after Kara.

Superman, Lytener, Ursa and Non saw what had happened and flew after them. Kara, meanwhile, knew she couldn't move, otherwise, she'd disrupt the beam and the portal would begin growing again. She was forced to remain still as three murderous Kryptonians flew right towards her.

She only hoped Superman could slow them down.


End file.
